David M Jackson

USA TODAY

Donald Trump's team responded to The New York Times story "Two Women Say Donald Trump Touched Them Inappropriately" with a demand for a retraction and a lawsuit threat.

Claiming the story constitutes “reckless, defamatory and constitutes libel per se," Trump lawyer Marc Kasowitz said in a letter that The Times is engaged in “a politically-motivated effort to defeat Mr. Trump’s candidacy."

Times’ lawyer David McCraw pushed back at Trump’s demand for a retraction, telling Trump's attorney in a letter that reporters worked to “confirm the women’s accounts” and gave Trump a chance to respond.

McCraw also dismissed Trump’s charge that the story was libelous.



“The essence of a libel claim, of course, is the protection of one’s reputation," he wrote. "Mr. Trump has bragged about his non-consensual sexual touching of women. He has bragged about intruding on beauty pageant contestants in their dressing rooms. He acquiesced to a radio hosts’ request to discuss Mr. Trump’s own daughter as a “piece of ass.” Multiple women not mentioned in our article have publicly come forward to report on Mr. Trump’s unwanted advances. Nothing in our article has the slightest effect on the reputation that Mr. Trump, through his own words and actions, has already created for himself.”

Committee to Protect Journalists: President Trump would be threat to press freedom

He didn't mince words in his conclusion, either:

"[I]f [Trump] believes that American citizens had no right to hear what these women had to say and that the law of this country forces us and those who would dare to criticize him to stand silent or be punished, we welcome the opportunity to have a court set him straight."

Read the letter in full.

If Trump were to sue, First Amendment experts say he'd have little chance of winning.