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Trump Throws Support Behind Covington Kid's Lawsuit, 'Go Get Them Nick'

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President Donald Trump offered his full support behind Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann’s $250 million libel suit against The Washington Post.

Trump tweeted on Wednesday, “‘The Washington Post ignored basic journalistic standards because it wanted to advance its well-known and easily documented biased agenda against President Donald J. Trump.’ Covington student suing WAPO. Go get them Nick. Fake News!”

Law & Crime reported that Sandmann’s lawsuit — filed this week in federal court in Kentucky by high profile libel attorney Lin Wood and co-counsel Todd McMurtry — seeks $50 million in compensatory damages for harm caused to their 16-year-old client’s reputation.

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The complaint also asks the court to award an additional $200 million in punitive damages against The Post. Punitive damages are awarded to punish the defendant and deter similar conduct in the future.

It should be noted Jeff Bezos paid $250 million when he purchased The Post in 2013.

Sandmann’s attorneys cited seven articles published by the paper that allegedly contain false and defamatory information about their client.

According to the complaint, these articles further the narrative that Sandmann is a racist because he was wearing a Make America Great Again hat during an incident involving Native American Nathan Phillips on January 18 at the Lincoln Memorial.

Do you think The Washington Post should be found guilty of libel?

The original reporting about the standoff by many media outlets blamed the Covington students for the confrontation, based on a small video clip.

However, when video giving fuller context became public, it revealed that Phillips had approached the students, who were themselves also being jeered with racial slurs by a group of African American men, calling themselves “Black Hebrew Israelites,” who were close by.

Wood argued on Fox News’ “Hannity” that the Post and other media outlets failed in their duty to get the facts straight before publishing their stories.

“So, this video goes viral, the mob attacks, and you would expect that the mainstream media would be responsible enough to pause, recognize that they are dealing with a student, investigate, and make sure that they have the facts accurate, that the story that they tell is accurate,” Wood told host Sean Hannity.

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“But they didn’t pause when it came to Nicholas, because they wanted to rush out and they wanted to jump into the mob and give the mob a megaphone, so that they could attack this boy, because he was white, he’s Catholic, and he was wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ cap,” the attorney added.

Wood contended that, but for his MAGA ball cap, no one would know who Sandmann is now.

“Here is a 16-year-old kid, Sean. It is tough being 16,” the lawyer said. “Think about what this young boy is having to deal with at age 16 when the entire world saw him the way that the media portrayed him as literally the face of evil. It is inexcusable, reprehensible conduct by the media. And The Washington Post led the way.”

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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