Trump puts federal libel law on 2018 agenda, escalating complaints against media

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump: Current Libel Laws a Sham and Disgrace Addressing his first Cabinet meeting of 2018, President Donald Trump touted his administration's accomplishments and said his White House would address the nation's libel laws, which he called a "sham and a disgrace." (Jan. 10)

WASHINGTON — President Trump renewed his call for a federal libel law on Wednesday, saying people who are subject to false and defamatory accusations should have "meaningful recourse" in federal courts.

"Our current libel laws are a sham and a disgrace, and do not represent American values or American fairness," Trump said at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, saying the issue was on his administration's 2018 agenda. "You can't say things that are false — knowingly false — and be able to smile as money pours into your bank account. We're going to take a very, very strong look at that. And I think what the American people want to see is fairness."

It's not a new proposal for the president, who threatened to “open up our libel laws’’ during his campaign for president as he pushed back against unfavorable stories. This time, the proposal comes a week after the publication of a tell-all book about the White House that portrayed Trump in unflattering terms.

Trump's private lawyers have threatened lawsuits, sending cease-and-desist letters to the book's author and publisher — and to former White House strategist Steve Bannon, who cooperated with author Michael Wolff, who was previously a columnist for USA TODAY.

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In the United States, libel and defamation are largely governed by state law, but within the restrictions of the First Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that public figures — like the president — must clear a high hurdle in order to prove defamation.

At the cabinet meeting Wednesday, Trump also complained about television news coverage of his negotiations with members of Congress on Wednesday. He claimed that network news anchors were complimentary of his handling of the meeting — even sending Trump letters telling him so — before network bosses weighed in.

Trump's attacks against the press also came amid a certain playfulness with reporters in the room for his cabinet meeting. After Tuesday's hour-long televised coverage of his immigration negotiations, he greeted the journalists with a wry, "Welcome back to the studio. Nice to have you." And he ended with, "We appreciate your being here, and you've gotten very familiar with this room."

At one point, he suggested that he was singularly responsible for high television ratings that are keeping news organizations afloat.

"I'm sure their ratings were fantastic; they always are — which is why I think the media will ultimately support Trump in the end, because they're going to say, if Trump doesn’t win in three years, they're all out of business," he said.

"But the boom holders are still going to be there, so that's good. Those are the people I like."

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