Report: Dominion Warns White House, Giuliani Of ‘Imminent’ Legal Action Over Voter Fraud Claims
Topline
Attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems sent letters to White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday telling them the company will be taking “imminent” legal action for defamation and that they should preserve documents related to the voter fraud conspiracy theories the Trump campaign and his allies have spread about Dominion’s voting machines, CNN reports, after the company served attorney Sidney Powell with a similar letter last week.
Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani appears before the Michigan House Oversight Committee in Lansing, … [+]
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Key Facts
Dominion’s voting machines are at the heart of a right-wing conspiracy theory claiming the machines were used as part of an effort to fraudulently elect President-elect Joe Biden, which has been debunked and dismissed by multiple courts.
Dominion’s attorneys, from a law firm known for defamation lawsuits, are demanding Giuliani “stop making ‘defamatory claims against Dominion’” and warned “litigation regarding these issues is imminent,” according to a copy of the letter reviewed by CNN.
Both Giuliani and Cipollone, as the White House’s legal representation, were ordered to preserve records and communications related to Dominion due to the expected litigation, including conversations that Giuliani and Powell had with White House officials and President Donald Trump.
Dominion previously made similar requests in a letter to Powell, the conspiracy theory’s most prominent promoter, which accused the attorney of acting with “actual malice” toward the company and called on her to retract her “wild” and “knowingly baseless” claims.
Trump campaign staffers have reportedly already been directed to preserve documents related to the Dominion claims based on the company’s letter to Powell, CNN reported Saturday.
Dominion has not yet responded to a request for comment, but one of the company’s attorneys, Tom Clare, confirmed on a radio show Monday that the company was sending letters to other individuals and entities in addition to Powell.
Key Background
Giuliani and others at the White House have taken steps in recent days to distance the Trump team from Powell and her claims about Dominion, following reports over the weekend that the president was meeting with Powell at the White House and reportedly considered appointing her as a special counsel to investigate election fraud. “Whatever [Powell’s] talking about, it’s her own opinions,” Giuliani told Newsmax Monday. “I’m not responsible for them, the president isn’t, nor is anybody else on our legal team.” Powell also claimed Tuesday to Fox News that she has been “blocked” from “seeing or speaking to the president,” amid reports suggesting White House officials objected to Trump’s discussions with Powell and apparent openness to her claims. Dominion’s threat of legal action is part of a growing wave of efforts aimed at holding the Trump campaign and GOP responsible for misinformation they’ve spread amid their legal attempts to overturn Biden’s win, which has been overwhelmingly unsuccessful, including potential sanctions against Trump attorneys and litigation against Trump himself.
What To Watch For
Dominion attorney Clare suggested on the radio show All the President’s Lawyers Monday that Dominion’s legal efforts will likely be much broader than just targeting Powell. The attorney said Dominion will likely follow fellow voting company Smartmatic in pursuing legal action against right-wing news networks like Newsmax and One America News that have pushed the conspiracy theory on their programs, which has already led some networks to publicly walk back their claims. “We are looking at everyone who has played a role in either saying these things themselves…but also the outlets that have recklessly, in our view, given a platform to them and well beyond when these allegations were discredited,” Clare said.
Further Reading
Giuliani told to preserve all records as lawyers for Dominion warn legal action is ‘imminent’ (CNN)
Dominion Demands Sidney Powell Retract ‘Knowingly Baseless’ Voting Machine Conspiracy Theory (Forbes)
The lawyer for the voting machine company that threatened to sue Trump-adjacent lawyer Sidney Powell for defamation says his client plans to sue ‘many’ more people (Business Insider)
Sidney Powell Claims She’s Been Banned From Seeing Or Speaking To Trump (Forbes)
Giuliani Distances Trump From Sidney Powell (Who Reportedly Visited White House Today) (Forbes)
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