I’m starting to think the idiom “crime doesn’t pay” was a way to keep us all out of crime-ing so the bad guys could rake it in while we stay broke chumps, friends. The latest evidence to support this theory: Fox News is basically getting off the hook for repeatedly lying up and down about election fraud that Donald Trump really won in 2020 (again he did not) and that there was rampant voting fraud (there was not). Dominion Voting Systems, which is the company responsible for some electronic voting machines, and which Fox News said was complicit in the so-called Big Lie in 2020 by flipping votes (a bald-faced lie), decided to settle their $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News earlier this week. Per HuffPost:
Fox News hailed the compromise while also admitting that it broadcast falsehoods:
“We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems. We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.”
Of course, they’re pleased! They got to avoid a lengthy embarrassing trial full of witnesses—including some of their star on-air personalities—that would have dragged them through the mud, and weeks of headlines about how they lied repeatedly about election fraud in a trial that undoubtedly they would have lost. They should be popping bottles and buying lotto tickets right now because they got very lucky, here! They don’t even have to make an on-air apology!
Here’s what Dominion had to say, per HuffPost:
“Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees, and the customers that we serve,” Dominion CEO John Poulos said, adding that his side believes “the evidence brought to light through this case underscores the consequences of spreading lies.”
Dominion had promised a messy trial, as the kids say. They were going to call Rupert Murdoch’s son Lachlan and on-air “talent” (and I use that word VERY loosely) Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity as witnesses. They also had promised not to settle unless Fox News issued an on-air apology. Now none of that will happen. Fox News wins again. Or do they?
Fox News is facing an even larger lawsuit against Smartmatic USA Corp for the same lies, to the tune of $2.7 billion. Yikes. The company itself is worth $16.44 billion so it has deep enough pockets to pay out, but it may have been a calculated move. Pocket your money, and let the bigger lawsuit make Fox News sweat. Especially because Dominion is also suing Newsmax, which is estimated to be worth $2.48 million, so Dominion could be coming in for the kill shot, here. It’s unclear how much they are suing Newsmax for, though.
It’s not just Newsmax though. Per The Daily Beast:
While Dominion is now in the rearview mirror for Fox, the voting machine firm still has pending lawsuits against fringe-right cable networks Newsmax and One America News, as well as Trump acolytes Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Mike Lindell, and Patrick Byrne.
OK, maybe I need to revise my previous statement. Crime pays when you’re a billionaire with deep pockets and you inspired the TV show Succession, a.k.a when you’re Rupert Murdoch. Maybe it doesn’t really pay when you’re known for being a pillow guy or holding press conferences outside of a landscaping business.
Regardless, I think we all know it’s going to be business as usual for Fox News and the only thing they learned is how not to get caught going forward. I mean, just look at what they were airing when everyone else was talking about their settlement:
(featured image: Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress)
