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The 2020 presidential election has been over for months now, but the legal fallout from Donald Trump’s loss looks like it will continue for years to come. Republican lawmakers are pushing strict new voting laws to limit voting access in an attempt to combat largely overblown cries of voter fraud, while some are at odds with voting system companies who have responded to wild claims about that voter fraud with defamation lawsuits.
One of those suits is against former Donald Trump lawyer and coup enthusiast Sidney Powell, who is facing a $1.3 billion lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems after repeated, baseless claims of voter fraud somehow executed by the company that makes voting machines.
As Axios detailed, Powell’s defense is essentially that no one should take her words and thoughts seriously, even though she’s a lawyer who directly fueled Donald Trump’s very visible (and baseless) claims of voter fraud to the point where he still feels he had the election stolen from him.
What she’s saying: Powell argues in her motion that “no reasonable person” would conclude that her accusations of Dominion’s election-rigging scheme “were truly statements of fact.”
She claims that Dominion conducted a “well-orchestrated public relations campaign to save their business” and that allegations against her are “sparse.”
Axios has the full dismissal attempt, but the highlights are clear: Powell’s best defense is that no one should believe anything she says.
Sidney Powell has moved to dismiss Dominion’s defamation lawsuit. She argues that when she accused Dominion of being part of an election-rigging scheme with ties to Venezuela, “no reasonable person would conclude” those “were truly statements of fact” https://t.co/RDPD1eGvY3 pic.twitter.com/p5zssgV5JJ
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) March 22, 2021
“The Tucker Carlson” defense was trending as of Monday evening, as many pointed out that the Fox News host had the same argument when he faced similar legal trouble. But while it may hold up in court, it’s a pretty bizarre claim to try making with a straight face after months of endless media coverage that has influenced millions of Trump supporters and other Republicans and eroded their faith in the democratic system.
And it had a direct impact on the lives of plenty of people, leading to a MAGA coup attempt on January 6 as Trump supporters tried to prevent congress from certifying the results of the Electoral College.
I’d like Sidney Powell to tell this to every single one of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on January 6th with intent to hang the Vice President and murder the Speaker of the House.
I’d like her to tell this to the families of the murdered Capitol Police officers. https://t.co/8AIOUvKh42
— Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella) March 22, 2021
This makes me violently angry. My own *mother* believed Sidney Powell. I’m so angry people like Powell claim they are “the patriots.” They hate America. This woman thinks her country is a toy–to be played with, snapped in half, and then discarded as soon as it no longer charms. https://t.co/pe5yAV4x4F
— Eve Fairbanks (@evefairbanks) March 22, 2021
This shows Sidney Powell views supporters of the former President and @GOP legislators as unreasonable, that only stupid people would have believed her election fraud statements. Problem is, many Republican legislators continue to wrongly believe the election was stolen. https://t.co/t6OcGn5eUX
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 22, 2021
Krakendoodle MAGA loon Sidney Powell is using the Tucker Carlson defense against Dominion’s $1.3B defamation lawsuit, saying when she spread the lies about election rigging “no reasonable person” would have believed her. Sue her into poverty and oblivion please.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) March 22, 2021
It’s a matter of time whether Powell’s dismissal will work, and it will likely change anyone’s opinion of Powell but it’s a good reminder of whether you should believe anything she has to say about pretty much anything moving forward. If her best defense of her actions and beliefs is that she’s a fool who cannot be trusted, well, what more is there to say?
