President-elect Donald Trump has now reportedly already enforced his previously threats against one of the media outlets he named, mere hours after he originally he pledged to file lawsuits against numerous media organizations who he has accused of attempting to interfere in the 2024 presidential election.
The president-elect officially filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer in a filing that was initially reported by Fox News and Puck.
His attorneys characterized the action as “brazen election interference.”
“[L]eft-wing pollsters have attempted to influence electoral outcomes through manipulated polls that have unacceptable error rates and are not grounded in widely accepted polling methodologies,” the lawsuit reads.
“President Trump, the Trump 2024 Campaign, and other Republicans were forced to divert enormous campaign and financial resources to Iowa based on the deceptive Harris Poll,” it continues.
It may be challenging for Trump to demonstrate that the Selzer poll caused him damage, as it indicated that he was trailing Vice President Kamala Harris in Iowa by three points, which was within the poll’s margin of error. (Trump ultimately secured the state by a margin of 13 points.)
Initially, it would appear that a poll that indicated a close race prior to Election Day would only serve to encourage Trump voters to attend the polls in greater numbers, as the outcome was still uncertain.
Given this, Trump’s attorneys will contend that the poll compelled them to allocate resources intended for other states to Iowa.
Selzer lambasted her critics on Friday for implying that she harbored sinister intentions.
“I am mystified about what the motivation anybody thinks I had and would act on in such a public poll. I don’t understand it. And the allegations I take very seriously. They’re saying that this was election interference, which is a crime. So, the idea that I intentionally set up to deliver this response, when I’ve never done that before, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to do it, it’s not my ethic.” Seltzer claimed.
This lawsuit comes on the heels of Trump receiving $15 million from ABC to settle his defamation case against the network.
[READ MORE: Judge Rejects Trump Claim For Immunity]
