
ABC to pay $15M, apologize in Trump defamation suit settlement
By Craig Nigrelli (Anchor), Brock Koller (Senior Producer), Shea Taylor (Producer), Kaleb Gillespie (Video Editor)
ABC News and its top political host, George Stephanopoulos, reached a settlement with President-elect Donald Trump in a defamation suit. Details of the settlement were released Saturday, Dec. 14.
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The lawsuit pertained to comments Stephanopoulos repeatedly made on his Sunday show “This Week” about the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit, in which Stephanopoulos said Trump was “found liable for rape.

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Last year, a civil jury ruled Trump sexually abused and defamed Carroll. However, the jury found Trump not liable for rape.
ABC News agreed to contribute $15 million toward Trump’s future presidential library and the network must issue a public apology, which will appear as an editor’s note on its website.
ABC News agreed to give $15 million to Donald Trump's presidential library project to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by the president-elect after anchor George Stephanopoulos incorrectly stated on-air that Trump had been found “liable for rape.” https://t.co/cyYCSKcjFL pic.twitter.com/nkYB5VZxa8
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) December 15, 2024
Also Saturday, the president-elect attended the 125th annual Army-Navy football game. Vice President-elect JD Vance, defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined Trump at the game.
Marine veteran Daniel Penny, who was acquitted of negligent homicide charges last week in Manhattan, joined the group as Vance’s personal guest.
[craig nigrelli]
ON SATURDAY — IT WAS ANNOUNCED A-B-C NEWS AND ITS TOP political host GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS REACHED A SETTLEMENT WITH TRUMP IN a DEFAMATION SUIT. THE LAWSUIT PERTAINED TO COMMENTS STEPHANOPOULOS repeatedly MADE ON HIS SUNDAY SHOW – “THIS WEEK”, ABOUT THE E. JEAN CARROLL LAWSUIT, IN WHICH STEPHANOPOULOS SAID TRUMP WAS “found liable for rape.”
LAST YEAR, A CIVIL JURY RULED TRUMP SEXUALLY ABUSED AND DEFAMED HER, BUT FOUND TRUMP **NOT** LIABLE FOR RAPE.
A-B-C HAS AGREED TO CONTRIBUTE 15 MILLION DOLLARS TOWARD TRUMP’S FUTURE PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND the network must ISSUE A PUBLIC APOLOGY — which will appear as an editor’s note on its website.
ALSO SATURDAY — THE PRESIDENT-ELECT WAS ATTENDED THE 125-TH ANNUAL ARMY-NAVY FOOTBALL GAME. HE AS JOINED BY ALLIES INCLUDING VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT J-D VANCE, DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE PETE HEGSETH, TRUMP’S PICK FOR director of NATIONAL intelligence TULSI GABBARD, WHO SERVED IN IRAQ AND FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS, WHO SPENT TIME IN U-S NAVY. Marine vet Daniel Penny, who was acquitted of negligent homicide charges last week, also joined the group as Vance’s personal guest.
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