Trump Attacks 1st Amendment, Vows To "Open Up" Libel Laws To Sue Media
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FORTH WORTH, Texas (CBSMiami) -- Donald Trump is going after the media in his latest campaign quest.
At a town hall in Texas Friday, Trump said that if elected president, he will weaken the country's libel laws in order to make lawsuits against the media easier to win in court.
"One of the things I'm going to do if I win, I'm going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposefully negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money," Trump announced.
He continued his threat, specifically mentioning two of the nation's biggest news publications.
"So when The New York Times writes a hit piece, which is a total disgrace, or when the Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they're totally protected," he said. "We're going to open up libel laws and we're going to have people sue you like you've never got sued before."
"Libel" is the written or broadcast form of defamation. In its current form, an individual must prove that a media outlet knowingly published false information with malicious intent, or acted with reckless disregard for the statement's truth or falsity, in order for a case to hold up in court.
Trump has long had resentment for the media, with public spats with Fox News and The New York Times drawing attention as of late.
As for how he'll implement his gutting of the law, he offered no actual details.
