Breaking news we're following right now.
CNN is combing through
a trove
of new legal documents
just filed in the $1.6 billion.
The Dominion Voting Systems
lawsuit against Fox News.
Right now,
I want to bring in our senior
media reporter, Oliver Darcy.
CNN legal
analyst Norm
Eisen and CNN media analyst Sara Fischer.
Oliver, so what is revealed in these
new filings?
That's right, Wolf.
These are really astonishing new details
that we're getting
first glimpse
at as part of a new legal filing
that was just made public moments ago.
And in it, Rupert Murdoch,
he acknowledges
that some of his top hosts
over at Fox
News were peddling false election claims.
This comes
in a deposition that we're first
we're seeing
as a result of this new legal filing.
And I want to read to you
part of it, Wolf.
In it,
Rupert Murdoch is asked by Dominion.
You were aware now
that Fox did more than simply
host these guests
and give them a platform. Correct. And
Murdoch goes on and it says,
in fact,
you are now aware
that Fox endorsed at times
this false notion of a stolen election.
Murdoch says not Fox, not Fox,
but maybe Lou Dobbs,
maybe Maria Bartiromo as commentators.
And then it goes on.
And he meant
they mentioned Jeanine Pirro,
a Fox News host.
He says, I think she did as well.
Yeah. Lou Dobbs. Oh, a lot.
Fox host Sean Hannity a bit.
And then it goes on to say
as well
about Fox
endorsing the narrative
of a stolen election. Correct.
Rupert Murdoch answers
know some of our commentators
were endorsing it
and the media says
about their endorsement
of a stolen election.
Rupert Murdoch says, yes, they endorsed.
This also comes as the deposition
reveals, again, the disdain
that Rupert Murdoch
had for these election lies.
He referred to them at once,
one point as B.S.
and damaging in an email.
And he's also said that he wishes
the network
did more to tamp down
these conspiracy theories.
Of course, hindsight, Wolf, is 20, 20.
And when you're being sued
for $1.6 billion,
that might
result in you
wishing you did things a different way.
Absolutely.
And Norm,
what else stands out to you
in this brand new brief
that has just been released?
And just how serious
is the legal threat right now
that is available for Fox?
Wolf,
I think it's quite serious
because when you go beyond
reporting, Fox defense,
well, we were just reporting.
But when you go beyond reporting
and your chairman admits
there was endorsement,
then that opens you up to liability
under the actual malice standard.
And, Wolf, it's not just $1.6 million.
If the jury decides that this conduct
was egregious enough
and much that is in here continues to be
shocking, that's bristling
almost 200 pages.
Every page has a Perry Mason moment.
If the jury decides that it was bad
enough conduct, they can double or triple
that $1.6 billion or go even higher.
So I think there's very serious
legal exposure.
This is one of the most
devastating depositions
that I've ever seen.
That's a ton of money,
too, potentially at stake for Foxborough.
As Oliver just reported,
some of Fox's biggest stars
are named in this deposition.
Maria Bartiromo,
Jeanine Pirro, Lou Dobbs,
formerly with Fox.
Sean Hannity still with Fox.
What kind of an impact
is this having on the network?
It's having a huge impact, Wolf,
because it's a major distraction.
I mean,
this network is going to have
to cover the 2024 election
in which Donald Trump
is going to participate.
He is still spewing election lies
on his own truth social platform.
And so every time
they're going to have to revisit
election coverage, this will haunt them.
But I think a big finding from today,
Wolf, is that, yes,
we know that these hosts knew
that this was bad.
That deposition
from last month
saw exchanges of text messages
in which the Tucker
Carlson of the world conceded
this was a problem.
But what's new today
is that the top level executives
also knew in real time
this was bad
and they did nothing to stop it.
In fact,
Fox's
chief legal
and policy officer
is quoted in the deposition
basically saying that Fox
had a responsibility
to stop these election lies
from being peddled
and it's still acted anyway.
So, Oliver, button this up for us.
Where does this lawsuit go from here?
This lawsuit
looks like it's going to trial, Wolf,
next month. It's supposed to start.
And, you know, Fox,
I should note,
too, is pushing back against what
we're reading right now.
And they're saying that
Dominion effectively
has a very weak case.
But legal experts
I've spoken to
have have suggested
complete otherwise
and that they have said
that this evidence
that we're seeing presented now
for the first time in these filings
is really quite damning.
Well, let me ask Durham,
is there a strong legal case here?
Wolf, I do think it is a powerful
legal case.
The standard of actual malice
that you need to prove that Fox either
knew these were lies
or recklessly disregarded.
The truth is very high in our country.
The First Amendment protects
the freedom of the press abroad.
An array of conversations.
But here you have
the damning admissions,
including from the top guy, Rupert
Murdoch himself, that he knew
these things were not so.
And that Fox, he admits they endorsed.
I think Fox is facing very serious legal
exposure.
And Tucker
Carlson comes in
for damaging
reporting in this brief as well.
Sarah, how do you see
this thing playing out
I think they go to trial in April
and then I think after that,
if it is found that Fox loses this case,
your coverage is going
to be much different
for the next election, Wolf.
If Fox doesn't get
you know, Fox gets away with this.
What's to stop them from pushing
further narratives in the future
that are completely false
and not just them other media companies?
This case sets a huge precedent
for freedom of the press,
but also for how
we policed misinformation
moving forward for elections to come.
You know, the stakes
clearly are enormous right now.
Sarah Fisher,
Oliver Darcy, Norm Eisen, guys, thank you
very, very much.