President-elect Donald Trump is suing pollster J. Ann Selzer, her polling firm, the Des Moines Register, and its parent company, Gannett, alleging that they participated in “election interference” under the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act.
The lawsuit alleges that a November 2, 2024, poll showing Vice President Kamala Harris leading Trump in Iowa by three points was intended to mislead voters and create a false narrative in favor of Democrats. The president-elect ended up winning the state by 13 points.
Trump’s attorneys argue that this poll was manipulated to artificially boost Harris’ campaign by making it appear it had a level of momentum that it did not have. “Defendants and their cohorts in the Democrat Party hoped that the Harris Poll would create a false narrative of inevitability for Harris in the final week of the 2024 Presidential Election,” the lawsuit claims, according to Fox News.
“The Harris Poll was no ‘miss’ but rather an attempt to influence the outcome of the 2024 Presidential Election,” the lawsuit states, adding that “defendants and their cohorts in the Democrat Party hoped that the Harris Poll would create a false narrative of inevitability for Harris in the final week of the 2024 Presidential Election.”
“Instead, the November 5 election was a monumental victory for President Trump in both the Electoral College and the Popular Vote, an overwhelming mandate for his America First principles, and the consignment of the radical socialist agenda to the dustbin of history.”
The lawsuit notes that Selzer, after more than 35 years in the industry, “retired in disgrace from polling less than two weeks after this embarrassing rout.”
Trump lawyers argued that “left-wing pollsters have attempted to influence electoral outcomes through manipulated polls that have unacceptable error rates and are not grounded in widely accepted polling methodologies.”
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Selzer’s final poll, published three days before Election Day, showed Harris leading Trump 47 percent to 44 percent despite Iowa being a deep red state.
Trump’s attorneys characterized Selzer’s poll as “election-interfering fiction” that deceived the voting public and harmed the president-elect’s campaign strategy.
“Millions of Americans, including Plaintiff, residents of Iowa, and Iowans who contributed to President Trump’s Campaign and its affiliated entities … were deceived by the doctored Harris Poll,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit claims the poll violates the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, arguing that it caused “substantial, unavoidable injury” to consumers, donors, and the Trump campaign.
Trump's attorneys noted that “While Selzer Selzer is not the only pollster to engage in this corrupt practice, she had a huge platform and following and, thus, a significant and impactful opportunity to deceive voters.”
Trump will be receiving a $15 million settlement from ABC News after he sued the network for defamation. The lawsuit centered on claims made by anchor and former Clinton operative George Stephanopoulos about the president being found liable for rape when that was not the court’s finding.
Several legal experts said ABC News’ decision to settle the case was a smart move. Attorney Danny Karon, a law professor, told Fox News, “As dumb as George Stephanopoulos was to lie on air about Trump’s civil verdict, ABC News was that smart to settle.”
He added: “It settled now because Trump and George Stephanopoulos were scheduled to be deposed this week. Whether it’s a function of discomfort, scheduling, or timing, no one likes to be deposed.”
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