Newsmax Retracts Support For Election Conspiracy Theory That Forced A Colorado Man Into Hiding

The far-right media outlet Newsmax, which amplified former President Trump’s false allegations of election rigging and widespread voter fraud, said on Friday that there is no evidence that Dominion Voting Systems or one of its top employees, Eric Coomer, manipulated election results in 2020. 

“Newsmax subsequently found no evidence that such allegations were true. Many of the states whose results were contested by the Trump campaign after the November 2020 election have conducted extensive recounts and audits, and each of these states certified the results as legal and final,” according to a written statement that is also expected to air on television.

Coomer filed a lawsuit against Newsmax for defamation in Colorado state court on December 22, 2020. He withdrew that suit earlier on Friday, ahead of Newmax’s apology. Coomer’s attorneys say he has reached a financial settlement, but terms of the arrangement were not disclosed. 

Shortly after the election, Coomer became the subject of conspiracy theories that he had used his position at Dominion to manipulate votes for Biden. He strongly denies those allegations. Coomer has been living in hiding for nearly six months after facing death threats. While he has dropped his suit against Newsmax, Coomer is still suing the Trump campaign and a number of campaign surrogates and pro-Trump media outlets, alleging defamation.  

Coomer said pro-Trump cable news networks like OAN and Newsmax crossed a legal line by amplifying and appearing to endorse obvious falsehoods about him and his employer. Coomer is the Director of Product Strategy and Security for Dominion Voting Systems. The company provides election equipment to 28 states, including swing states like Georgia where Trump focused much of his post-election ire. 

While there’s no evidence of widespread voter fraud, millions of Americans believe President Biden did not legitimately win the presidential election. 

Coomer says these false allegations elevated him to the national spotlight, destroyed his privacy and “fundamentally defamed his reputation across the country.” 

*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Colorado Public Radio can be found here ***