More than a week after Donald Trump threatened to sue CNN, the former US president is asking supporters on his email list to contribute money to help him fight his lawsuit against the outlet.
Mr. Trump said late last month that he would sue CNN and “other media outlets” for dismissing his claims of voter fraud.
In a 282-page letter the former US president’s attorney sent to CNN chief Chris Licht last month, the attorney argued that the cable network defamed Mr Trump, called him a liar for his unproven accusations of voter fraud and “consistently a story that denounced President Trump’s legitimacy and competence”.
The letter contains collections of articles and on-air reports that Mr Trump claims to be false and defamatory.
“CNN’s coverage, both pre-election and post-election, consistently fueled a narrative that exposed President Trump’s legitimacy and competence,” the letter mentioned.
“I have notified CNN of my intention to file a lawsuit over their repeated defamatory statements against me,” Trump said in a statement from his Save America political action committee.
He said he would also launch “actions against other media outlets that have defamed me and defrauded the public over the overwhelming evidence of fraud during the 2020 election”.
Now, in a new fundraising email sent by the former president, he has reportedly called on his “dearest and most devoted supporters” to add their names to “join me in my upcoming COURT against Fake News CNN”.
“PLEASE add your name IMMEDIATELY to show your support for my upcoming lawsuit against Fake News CNN,” reads the email titled “Let’s SUE CNN,” which links to a donation page, according to The Daily Beast.
“I’m going to review the names of the first 45 patriots who added their names to publicly stand next to their president AGAINST CNN,” said a second email, sent hours later to supporters on his email list.
The independent has contacted CNN for comment.