"In 2021, Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox, alleging that the network's coverage falsely accused the voting technology company of committing fraud in the 2020 election to steal the victory from President Donald Trump and give it to President Joe Biden, and that these false statements damaged the company's reputation and resulted in its employees being subjected to death threats and harassment."
"Discovery in the Dominion case revealed a trove of emails, text messages, and other communications between the network's executives and on-air personalities admitting they knew the election fraud claims were false, mocking Trump's attorneys and surrogates as crazy for pushing them, and fretting about falling in the ratings to upstart competitors like Newsmax and OANN if they didn't indulge MAGA viewers."
"Likewise, no current or former Fox employee who testified in the Smartmatic case said they believed Smartmatic switched votes or otherwise committed fraud in the 2020 election, and discovery has unearthed another pile of internal Fox communications relating to this case, some of which were included in a redacted motion filed in June 2025, which was then updated with fewer redactions that August."
"One of these communications was a Dec. 5, 2020 text message from Fox News host Jesse Watters to his colleague Greg Gutfeld that said, Think about how incredible our ratings would be if Fox went ALL in on STOP THE STEAL,"
Smartmatic sued Fox News in 2021 for $2.7 billion, alleging false election-fraud accusations about the 2020 vote and claims that Smartmatic’s reputation was harmed, including employee harassment and death threats. The case resembles Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox, which settled in April 2023 as trial approached. In Dominion discovery, internal communications showed executives and on-air personalities discussing knowledge that fraud claims were false, mocking Trump’s legal efforts, and worrying about ratings if they did not cater to MAGA viewers. In Smartmatic discovery, no current or former Fox employee testified that Smartmatic committed fraud or switched votes. Internal Fox communications have been uncovered and were included in a June 2025 redacted motion and an August update with fewer redactions, including a Dec. 5, 2020 text message from Jesse Watters to Greg Gutfeld about boosting ratings by going all in on “STOP THE STEAL.”
Read at www.mediaite.com
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