After all the rumors, innuendos, half-truths, and outrageous lies that Fox News has been accused of broadcasting over the years, Gov. Gavin Newsom decides to sue the network for $787 million over the timing of a phone call?
That may seem like an awfully puny hill to stand on. But sometimes in politics, timing is everything.
The whole kerfuffle has to do with whether the president bothered to pick up the phone to tell the governor he was basically hijacking members of his national guard and dispatching them to defend government buildings earlier this month in Los Angeles. The president said such a call took place on June 9. Newsom said a friendly conversation devoid of any mention of troop movements took place on June 7. There seems to be only evidence so far of a June 7 call.
Newsom claims Fox News — Trump's No. 1 toady — defamed him by accusing him of lying that a June 9 call didn't take place.
Fox has countered, saying that what Newsom is up to is a "publicity stunt" and "frivolous."
Timeout. If what Newsom is up to is frivolous, how about Donald Trump's $20 billion lawsuit against 60 Minutes, which he accused of editing a "bad and incompetent" answer out of a Kamala Harris interview clip that aired during the presidential campaign?
Rather than fight the asinine allegation, the network entered into settlement talks. A mediator has proposed a $20 million settlement , which is a far cry from $20 billion, but still seems like way too much given the circumstances.
Was Newsom defamed?
Newsom claims that Fox has damaged his reputation and could even cost him votes in the future.
Individual viewers who heard Fox's statement that Governor Newsom was ‘lying’ about when he last spoke to President Trump are less likely to support Governor Newsom in future elections," the case says, "and are less likely to support Governor Newsom's causes or contribute to his political organizations.
Nonsense. A loyal Fox viewer would never, ever, ever vote for Gavin Newsom.
John Fetterman? Perhaps.
Gavin Newsom? That's a rock-hard no.
So has Newsom really been harmed by Fox News?
Those likely to vote for him probably don't believe anything the network has to say anyway. Some may even see it as a badge of honor to be on the wrong side of Fox News.
Besides, Newsom has been lied about and insulted plenty of times before, and by the president no less, whose favorite nickname for our governor is "Newscum" ."
So why now? Is this, as Fox News claims, nothing more than a publicity stunt?
Newsom is, after all, widely expected to run for the 2026 Democratic presidential nomination, and a high-profile case that challenges the right wing's most powerful media organization would cement his reputation as the top leader of the Trump resistance.
It's a move that screams there's at least one Democrat who is furious and no longer willing to put up with it.
Even the amount of the damages sought - $787 million - is symbolic. That's the same amount that Fox выплатил to settle a defamation case filed by Dominion Voting Systems to avoid going to trial.
Even so, the Dominion case revealed information that Fox would have preferred to keep hidden. including documents that proved network executives and hosts knew that conspiracy theories accusing Dominion of rigging the 2020 election results were false, but continued to broadcast them anyway.
Will Newsom go the distance?
If Newsom is serious about this lawsuit and is willing to see it through the many months it would take to wend its way through court, it could uncover more of the inside scoop on Fox News.
On the other hand, according to the lawsuit, Newsom is willing to drop the case if Fox News apologizes. It's something Fox should consider.
From what we know so far, the evidence appears to support Newsom; phone logs confirm that there was indeed a 16-minute conversation between the governor and the president that took place late in the day on June 6, though it was already June 7 on the East Coast.
That doesn't mean there wasn't another conversation on June 9, as Trump says, but is this really worth going toe-to-toe over?
If Fox were to take the reasonable course of action, it would comply. Even a half-hearted apology would probably work.
But Fox isn't known for its reasonableness, and it's hard to see Gavin Newsom backing down on this.
The hill he's chosen may be small, but it may well be where he takes his stand.
A search for the truth between Gavin Newsom and Fox News could be, if nothing else, entertaining.
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