Politics, Torts

Klacik v. Owens: GOP Congressional Candidate Sues Conservative Commentator For Defamation

We have been following a slew of defamation lawsuits by political figures over the last few years. (See, e.g., here and here and here and here and here and here and here). As a torts professor, it has been a bonanza for my students to see different issues raised in such cases involving public officials and public figures. The latest such case is between two well-known Republican women and commentators: Kimberly Klacik and Candace Owens. Former Republican congressional candidate Klacik is suing commentator Candace Owens for defamation in alleging that she has committed criminal acts, money laundering used drugs, and workers at a strip club.  Klacik is seeking $20 million in damages.  The filings raise some interesting questions for tort actions between two public figures.

Klacik became a national figure when she ran to finish the term of the late Baltimore-area Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, who died in October 2019. She also spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention and received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. She lost the special election to Kweisi Mfume in April 2020, who garnered nearly 72% of the vote.

The focus of the Complaint is a June 22, 2021 publication of a forty-four-minute video from Owens’ Instagram account. On the video, Owens states that she carried out an investigation with  unidentified sources who alleged that Klacik “used campaign money to do cocaine” and that she may have worked as  a “madame” at a strip club. She stated that Klacik may have laundered money and committed other potentially criminal acts.  The entire transcript is attached as an exhibit to the Complaint below.

However, Owens expressly noted that she was relying on third party accounts and that she “had no proof” and “cannot possibly verify” or confirm the Criminal Allegations.  In a response to a letter from Klacik’s counsel, counsel for Owens also declared that “nothing [Owens] said in [her] video constitute{d] defamation of character,” “fall facts [she] made are backed by truth,” and that Owens had “EVERY right under the law to inquire about campaign finances.” That exhibit is also attached to the Complaint.

This is a relatively rare case of two public figures as opposing parties in a defamation case. The standard for defamation for public figures and officials in the United States is the product of a decision decades ago in New York Times v. Sullivan. This is precisely the environment in which the opinion was written. The Supreme Court ruled that tort law could not be used to overcome First Amendment protections for free speech or the free press. The Court sought to create “breathing space” for the media by articulating that standard that now applies to both public officials and public figures. As such, public officials and public figures must show either actual knowledge of its falsity or a reckless disregard of the truth.

This is a matter of public concern and political debate. Courts are understandably hesitant to delve into the super-hearted environment of political speech absent the clearest and rawest forms of defamation. Of course, simply saying that something is your “opinion” does not automatically shield you from defamation actions if you are asserting facts rather than opinion. However, courts have been highly protective over the expression of opinion in the interests of free speech. This issue was addressed in Ollman v. Evans 750 F.2d 970 (D.C. Cir. 1984). In that case, Novak and Evans wrote a scathing piece, including what Ollman stated were clear misrepresentations. The court acknowledges that “the most troublesome statement in the column . . . [is] an anonymous political science professor is quoted as saying: ‘Ollman has no status within the profession but is a pure and simple activist.’” Ollman sued but Judge Kenneth Starr wrote for the D.C. Circuit in finding no basis for defamation.

Here however the allegations involve actual criminal conduct and thus involve per se categories of defamation. While damages are presumed in libel (written defamation), they are only presumed in slander (or spoken defamation) in cases of slander per se. Those per se categories often included (1) “imputation of certain crimes” to the plaintiff; (2) “imputation . . . of a loathsome disease” to the plaintiff; (3) “imputation . . . of unchastity to a woman;” or (4) defamation “affecting the plaintiff in his business, trade, profession, or office.” They differ among the states and there is a trend toward the merging of the standards of slander and libel.

This case is brought in Maryland which recognizes per se categories involving the words or actionable conduct that are presumptively damaging — “a self-evident fact of common knowledge of which the court takes judicial notice and need not be pleaded or proved.” M&S Furniture v. De Bartolo Corp., 249 Md. 540, 544, (1968). That includes allegations of criminal conduct. A. S. Abell Co. v. Barnes, 258 Md. 56 (1970).

The complaint also alleged malice — a key element given the public figure status of the plaintiff. The basis is the sharp disagreements between the two political figures. This includes tense exchanges over the issue of recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

This could produce some important new rulings in the case, including but not limited to what is opinion and what is effectively a statement of fact.  We will be watching how the case unfolds in the Maryland courts.

Here is the Complaint and attached exhibits.

102 thoughts on “Klacik v. Owens: GOP Congressional Candidate Sues Conservative Commentator For Defamation”

    1. A politically congruent choice, a premature evacuation, a segue to catastrophic anthropogenic immigration reform and collateral damage. Following lockstep in Obama’s footsteps. Time will tell if his actions will be lead o another transnational (world) war.

    2. “Geppetto cut his sound.”

      They’re tightening the reins on Caligula’s Horse. And who is the “they?” Obama retreads. They have always believed in sacrificing the lives of individual Americans — for the “greater good,” of course. And that’s precisely what they’re doing now in Afghanistan.

    1. Young, both of your posts above are linked to journals not widely known. In fact, they both appear intended for far-right consumption.

      1. Anonymous–In your student dorm saying a source is to the right or the far-right is likely to make it unworthy of consideration. But for many of us anything to the right of Lenin and the New York Times and Wa Po is likely to be more credible. Lenin would probably have more sense by now, but Wa Po and the Times have openly disavowed actual journalism in favor of activism.

        However, even if you don’t like the journal, the information they linked to may be within your range. For example, as was pointed out to the Canebreak fraud, one link was to an FDA talk. Is the FDA too far to the right for you?

        Legal Insurrection is a blog site run by a Cornell University law professor who is very responsible for his posts. His link is to a video of Biden on a White House feed. Is Biden too far to the right for you?

        You have a very limited apprehension.

    2. “FDA Safety Surveillance of COVID-19 Vaccines: DRAFT Working list of possible adverse event outcomes ***Subject to change***

      -Guillain-Barré syndrome
      -Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis
      -Transverse myelitis
      -Encephalitis /myelitis/encephalomyelitis/meningoencephalitis/meningitis/encephalopathy
      -Convulsions/seizures
      -Stroke
      -Narcolepsy and cataplexy
      -Anaphylaxis
      -Acute myocardial infarction
      -Myocarditis/pericarditis
      -Autoimmune disease
      -Deaths
      -Preganacy and birth outcomes
      -Other acute demyelinating diseases
      -Non-anaphylactic allergic reactions
      -Thrombocytopenia
      -Disseminated intervascular coagulation
      -Venous thromboembolism
      -Arthritis and arthralgia/joint pain
      -Kawasaki disease
      -Multisymptom Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
      -Vaccine enhanced disease”

      – fda.gov (via principia-scientific.com)

      These are “possible adverse events”, some of which have been realized upon injection, more in the short-term, and others will remain unknown for years to come. This is why, unlike short-lived drugs, novel vaccines with long-lived effects require safety data collected over a decade or more.

  3. Off topic. Yadi Molina just got a ten million dollar contract for next year. They play 162 games. That’s about $62,000.00 a game. That’s about $4.00 per in stadium fan for one player.
    Gotta boycott baseball games.

    1. The majority of baseball revenue is not ticket sales to fans in the seats, but rather from broadcast networks. There are many more thousands watching/listening elsewhere.
      Yadi is respected for calling the games; not just batting.
      Boycotting baseball over his contract seems excessive.
      Why aren’t you upset about my Dodgers spending $40 million just this year on a pitcher who is currently on paid “administrative leave”?

  4. Candace seems to be taking a page out of Guiliani’s book in making up allegations from unnamed sources. Of course, Guiliani is being disbarred everywhere and is going to be bankrupted by defamation suits. Same for the Kraken.

    We really need to get back to the truth in this country, which means that these pathologically lying Trump sycophants need to get off the stage.

    1. And Joe Biden is okay to be on stage? How many times has Joe been caught in a lie or plagiarizing people for speeches? He just lied to the American people the other day for the Afghanistan debacle.

    2. The danger to the US was not so much Obama or a Biden, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a person like Biden to an office. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of Biden than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved citizenry willing to have such a person as their President.

      The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Hillary, Obama, Biden or Harris, who are mere symptoms of what ails the US. Blaming the royalty of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that would have made Obama and then Biden their king.

      The US may survive an Obama or a Biden, who are, after all, merely fools. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who vote for them.

      The sycophants are still out there.

      2. The subtext of Gunny’s comment is that Blacks and Hispanics cannot be trusted to make informed voting choices. Only White conservatives, over 60, in smaller towns, possess the appropriate knowledge to cast informed ballots.

        1. “The subtext of Gunny’s comment is that Blacks and Hispanics cannot be trusted to make informed voting choices. Only White conservatives, over 60, in smaller towns, possess the appropriate knowledge to cast informed ballots.”
          **********************
          Typical racist trope by Aninny in a feeble attempt to shame instead of argue but it is worth looking at the relative degree of societal development in Africa and South America versus that achieved by those scary old white guys in Europe and North America. How’s the comparison work out?

        2. The danger to the US was not so much Obama or a Biden, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a person like Biden to an office. — Gunny

          The subtext of Gunny’s comment is that Blacks and Hispanics cannot be trusted to make informed voting choices. — Anonymous

          Gunny mentioned race? Where?

          Enjoy race baiting much, anon?

          The subtext of Gunny’s comment is that liberals and Progressives cannot be trusted to make informed voting choices. FIFY

    3. If we are to talk about lying politicians, we then must address the lying Joe “Dementia” Biden, prevaricating Jen Psaki, cackling truth evading Harris, and so many other lying, unethical, morality-deficient, and functionally insane Democrats, politicians and running dogs alike.

      And, don’t be double billing the CCP for your trolling.

    4. I don’t know buddy…heard Candiace on the radio today and she started looking into the money – almost 10 million bucks she “raised” to run …and that money was going to really odd LLC’s …tied into and run by former demoratzi politicos and the fact Klacik was involved with strip clubs and their owners. Well we will see…but if even half of this is true Klacik did some serious money laundering with that political money.

      1. Have you looked into the Trump Organization’s money laundering operations? It is their whole business model. Lots of different LLCs involved. Lots of rich foreigners buying expensive apartments.

    5. The truth ?…you could not handle the truth. Baizou biden is a piece of human debris…zero redeeming anything on this political whore. His lies are ginormous and often , his former kids baby sitter/now wife is no more in scruples of any measure , and likely less from all accounts. For years America endured the lies , smears and conspiracy crapola against trump or anyone that supported him. And somehow you now feel relevance to tout truth when it has beena war of lies on obvious truths for many years… a war waged by the DN-KKK-C machine. Obama was full of lies contradictions and uncertain lineage…and corrupt as the usual DC swamp creature could be. Piglosi…Biden , ron klain , psaki etc etc. All these and many more on the left have been in the swamp so long you even wonder if they would’nt rejoice if the swamp was renamed after them and they’re hypocrisy ..in their name(s). I’d even wager these bloated head criminals would engender a holiday for such an occasion … yes they are that vain.

  5. Just a thought. The same folks managing the retreat from Afghanistan are the ones pushing everyone to get injected with an experimental vaccine.

    1. “The party that believes that men can get pregnant now wants to control ‘misinformation’ on the internet.” — unknown

    2. Just a thought. The same folks encouraging you not to take what they call an experimental vaccine. Are the same folks pushing you to instead take a known Poison that is primarily measured and used for livestock animals. What happens if a human takes too much ivermectin?
      You can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and death. Anyone who drinks this will die a truly horrible death.

      1. You can also overdose and die on aspirin and even water.

        Are you going to warn people not to drink water to avoid a terrible death?.

        1. Ivermectin not only doesn’t work for COVID, it can be dangerous because it is approved and sold as a dewormer for horses and cattle. The FDA issued a new warning just a few days ago.

          1. If you trust the FDA approval system, you are either willfully ignorant of their track record or you’re not concerned about anyone’s health including your own.

            For withdrawn drugs, the median time from FDA approval to removal from the market is five years.
            Over 100 million prescriptions written before drug safety recalls
            Each year more than 2 million serious adverse drug reactions occur in the United States, causing an estimated 100,000 deaths
            https://pnhp.org/news/over-100-million-prescriptions-written-before-drug-safety-recalls/

            Nearly a third of FDA-approved drugs had problems, study finds
            Drugs used to treat mental illness and drugs that went through an accelerated approval process had a higher number of “events,” the study found.
            https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/health/fda-approval-drug-events-study/index.html

            1. Antidepressants that are known to elevate the risk of rage events in young adults.

              Vioxx anyone? That was a prescription COX-2 NSAID somewhat related chemically to ibuprofen which went through the full FDA approval process. It was pulled from the market five years later when further studies showed that it doubled heart attack risk but not before it had been taken by 4 million Americans, caused about 140,000 heart attacks and killed 60,000.

              from The Bottom Line

              People should be discerning and wait for the safety data before taking a knee to the consensus.

              1. n.n. – There is a class of anti-depressants that is known to increase the risk of suicide in young adults. It isn’t too big a stretch to imagine an angry youth taking one of those drugs to think of killing himself and then decide to take out the people he hates before killing himself. A number of these mass attacks by disturbed young people often end with their suicide. When I was young these incidents didn’t happen. They seem to have arisen with the arrival of the new anti-depressants. That is a factor that should be investigated more closely.

          2. Tell that to DR’s who are taking Ivermectin and all of India Einstein. Remember how India was in the news for all the covid deaths and then the news coverage suddenly stopped and the MSM are now ignoring the recovery in India? But the UK that went the route of the Vaccine and is knee deep in it still?? Yup Einstein, they started administering Ivermectin to everyone in India .

            But YOU know better, right? If you believe the CDC at this point after they have changed their “science” 1,000 times in the last 2 years, you deserve to be lied to.

          3. Yeah , right sure…nastycha. HCQ works wonders with a Z pack , and vitamin D is no slouch either. But your buddies want you to keep getting the toxic blue jab…you do what they told ya…do what they told ya…good little droogie…good little drone aren’t you now.

      4. Anonymous:

        I make no representation on Ivermectin as a Covid treatment, either for or against, because I have not read the latest studies.

        However, Ivermectin has a long use as an anthelmintic (dewormer) in humans as well as animals. Veterinary drugs are still regulated under the FDA-CVM.

        You are right that it’s possible to overdose on Ivermectin, and that humans taking veterinary drugs and trying to guesstimate dosages is not generally a good idea outside of dystopia.

        Young is also right that you can OD on anything, including oxygen and water.

        I have no problem with investigating out of the box avenues for treatment protocols as long as they follow ethical and safety guidelines.

        Regular updates on vaccine safety and efficacy data should be released to the public, without the ad hominem against people who show concern for taking a new vaccine. Although Pfizer just received full FDA approval for its vaccine, it does have higher side effects than a tetanus shot. This concerns perfectly rational people. The way to allay their concerns is with information and non judgement. In addition, as the vaccines simply mimic the infection so as to produce immunity, people who actually recovered from Covid tend to have equal or better immunity than the vaccinated. Therefor, the risk/benefit ratio of those with acquired immunity getting vaccinated is different than with those who are unvaccinated and never had Covid. Berating those with such acquired immunity goes against immunology.

        Making fun of people who are worried about the side effects of a new vaccine is not compassionate, and it certainly does not convince anyone to get the shots.

        1. Karen,

          Anon avoided the fact that many drugs are used in adjusted doses both for people and animals.

          Ivermectin is one medicine also prescribed for people. With a prescription from your doctor you can get it at your local human pharmacy in doses appropriate for human size and metabolism. You don’t need to scam a veterinarian.

          It has been around for ages and its side effects are well known and not normally serious.

          Anon made a deliberate effort to mislead because of politics consistent with those of Biden. It is partly because of efforts like this that faith in ‘science’ and ‘government’ as they call it has collapsed.

        2. Another example of rubbish from the government.

          https://www.pennlive.com/coronavirus/2021/08/you-are-not-a-cow-and-should-not-use-this-animal-medication-to-prevent-covid-19-fda-says.html

          “The problem is – ivermectin meant for animals is not safe for humans.
          The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently posted on Twitter – “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously y’all. Stop it.”

          They publish this as if they are unaware the drug is also used to treat humans and is available at your pharmacy in human doses with a doctor’s prescription.

          Giving the FDA a little latitude, this looks like a notice put out by a half-wit, twenty-something intern in a cubicle. On the other hand, the agency may simply be stupid or dishonest or both. They have fine examples of that all the way to the top.

        3. More of you making stuff up again, Karen. You keep wanting to make it sound like the anti-vaxxers are reasonable, and that their “concerns” should be “allayed” with information. Anyone who looks can be flooded with information about the vaccines. Lack of information is not the problem–it’s rejection of science, all started by Trump because the CDC made him look foolish because of all of the lying he did about COVID, downplaying the seriousness and not wearing a mask. It’s not “perfectly rational” to be anti-vax because the only ones who have the irrational fear that the vaccine is worse than COVID are those who follow alt-right media that lie to them and social media posts that repeat the lies. It’s not “compassionate” to coddle people who reject science in favor of rumors and lies spread by social media. These people are the ones responsible for the spike in COVID cases that are killing people. The long-term effects of COVID infection are not known.

          There’s no proof that COVID victims “have equal or better immunity than the vaccinated” because this hasn’t been studied. For this reason, the CDC recommends that COVID victims should receive the vaccine. There’s no basis for claiming a “different” risk/benefit ratio because this hasn’t been studied, either. The immune response to the vaccines has been thoroughly studied. You aren’t knowledgeable about “immunology”, and certainly not more knowledgeable than the scientists at the WHO, the CDC, the health commissioners of all 50 states and every city and country that has a health commissioner, all of whom recommend that everyone who is eligible should get vaccinated, even if you’ve already had COVID. Why isn’t that sufficient for you? What qualifies you to offer opinions that differ from those of the scientific community that has dedicated itself to preventing death and illness? Why do and have you kept pushing for Hydroxychloroquine that has been proven to be ineffective? Why would you even entertain the idea that a cattle and horse deworming medication–Ivermectin–could or should be used for COVID, after the FDA specifically warned that it is not only ineffective, but dangerous? You are part of the problem, Karen.

          1. Natacha: ” Why do and have you kept pushing for Hydroxychloroquine that has been proven to be ineffective?”

            ***
            Actually not. Even The Lancet has backed away from its absurdly political claim that HCQ was useless and dangerous and has admitted that the study was flawed. Several studies have demonstrated it is effective. You may have to dig to find them now. I am not sure Google or Fascist Book will let you see them.

            1. Did you bother to read the study from THIS YEAR that reviewed all of the literature out there, weeded out the ones that did not have control groups or otherwise comply with scientific standards, and which concluded that Hydroxychloroquine is not useful as either a preventative or treatment for COVID? I’ve posted it numerous times. It wouldn’t even be an issue except for Trump pushing it, and idiots like you believing what he says over what scientists say. That’s the part that’s amazing to me: why anyone would believe someone who is a chronic, habitual liar over scientists who dedicated years of their lives to education and pursuit of truth to prevent human suffering and unnecessary death.

              You’ve tried to flip the script on Ivermectin. It is approved for use in humans for de-worming purposes ONLY. It is not useful for COVID or approved for COVID. Horses and cattle tend to weigh a lot more than humans, so taking a veterinary dose of Ivermectin could well result in an overdose.

              1. Natcha: “You’ve tried to flip the script on Ivermectin. It is approved for use in humans for de-worming purposes ONLY.”
                ***
                Apparently you are unaware that any approved drug can be used off-label. It is a common practice. Nobody is required to rigidly adhere to only the condition for which a drug was officially approved.

                If you looked at the article I linked above on the success of Ivermectin for Covid in India you would know better.

              3. Ivermectin — is not useful for COVID or approved for COVID. — Natacha

                I personally know at least two people who disagree with you.

                Our neighbor, a cowboy in his 70s, caught C-19, and it was getting the better of him. He went to the doctor, who told him there wasn’t much he could do for him, because he wasn’t allowed to prescribe either HCL or Ivermectin, nor would the local pharmacies fill those prescriptions in any case. Cowboy asked the doc how much he should take and when. Doc told him. Cowboy went home and dosed himself according to the doc’s instructions. He was doing better within two days and over it in a week. Told me he thought he was headed to his last roundup until he started the Ivermectin. He recommends the apple flavored…

                Stopped by the feed and supply store a couple of days ago to get some Ivermectin (for our animals, of course ;>). Only three tubes were on the shelf, but they were apple flavored… Clerk said they can’t keep it in stock — seems the animals around here are pretty wormy this year.

                Now, I don’t know much, but it is obvious, Natacha, that you couldn’t find your as* with a ten-man scouting party on a clear day.

      5. “You can also overdose . . .”

        Someone doesn’t understand a basic principle of chemistry: The dose is the toxicity.

        1. Iowan2 — Good call. That is another famous example of the ‘science is settled’ being pure b.s. Nobody was prepared for the idea that ulcers, and cancer, could be caused by H. Pylori which can be treated with antibiotics, but it was true.

      7. Ivermectin is NOT a poison. In fact, it is prescribed by doctors. The warning on its misuse was with regards to dosage.

  6. I know thread jack is generally considered bad form, but I just want to say, it is August 24.
    Andrew Cuomo is no longer the governor of NY.
    Millions of NYers are rejoicing.
    We are having a cook out.

    Will have another one if he gets impeached, found guilty of sexual assault, or found guilty in the deaths of nursing home seniors.

      1. And this woman is hardly different from fredos older brother…she is a partisan zeig heil demoratzii…nothing good will come form her for NYS.

    2. Whether it was planned parent/hood or his socially liberal orientation, Cuomo was a “burden” to the party. The karmic irony of aborting a governor who was no longer viable.

  7. Just because I “heard” that Donald Trump had sex with a dog back in his New York days does not make it true. I would be wrong to repeat it here in this blog. I will refer to him as “no dog Donald”.

    1. @Liberty2nd,
      Not a good argument…

      Try this…
      Liberty2nd reported that he heard that Don Trump had sex w a dog… however we could not find any such evidence to back up such a claim.
      We are unable to substantiate the veracity, however it could also be true.

      Now I ‘reported’ the facts. Added a spin that what you said could be true so I didn’t slander Trump, you did and I reported on your slander.

      Now use that and review what Turley was saying.
      -Gumby

  8. Most heard the phrase “SPEAK UP” from parents! Now it seems speak up means, “say what you like subject to approval” I don’t remembering giving up the right to speak. Free speech is under assault from all corners of society, to what end? Hopefully it will finally get so tiring that the left will be scoffed into submission for their outlandish behavior. The left thinks they’re the purveyors’ of fact and truth, and only they and they alone should dictate what’s written and verbally approved discourse. Have we as a sane society leaped into some time warp where everything is upside down, where good is bad, male is female, math is racist, wealth predacious, where feelings outweigh sanity, and the list goes on. Professor Turley’s post today is between individuals over facts or the dispute about the facts, whereas the left would like nothing more than to ban both of the parties under some absurd notion. Thankfully they won’t be able to use race as an issue.
    The lefts radical/dystopian politics should be concerning to all citizens. When the state acquires the right to control speech, by force if necessary, the remaining rights are in peril. The lefts tactics to force acquiescence to their Utopian World is nasty, ruthless, evil, sadistic, racist, and could only have come from a Mooncalf intellect.
    As an example Judicial Watch received records from the Iowa regarding the 2020 election showing Secretary of State Office contacted, Facebook and Twitter to remove some of Judicial Watch’s posts they claimed were false. The assault continues.

  9. OT NEWSFLASH

    Spike Lee finally acknowledges that American Intel knew full well and that 9/11 was a Mossad conspiracy.
    __________________________________________________________________________________

    “The amount of heat that it takes to make steel melt, that temperature’s not reached.”

    “And then the juxtaposition of the way Building 7 fell to the ground — when you put it next to other building collapses that were demolitions, it’s like you’re looking at the same thing.”

    – Spike Lee

  10. I don’t like the decision in NYT v. Sullivan as I’ve said plenty of times. It dissuades justice for a whole class of people without compensation using an almost impossible proof standard. That said, this case seems like a loser. You have to have a good reputation to lose it. About this Plaintiff I am not so sure she qualifies.

  11. If the allegations prove untrue, then the malice would lie with the third parties who gave that information to Owens.

    The truth will come out in the lawsuits. Either this was poisoned information disseminated to Candace Owens and the rest of the world in an effort to deplatform Klacik, similar to the Trump dossier, or the information was true.

    Klacik suing seems to indicate that she believes there will be no proof to support these allegations.

    If these stories were untrue, then Klacik has my sympathy. I quite like Candace Owens, and I’m sure her intentions were sincere. Perhaps it will come out that the allegations proved true, or that she reported on what she discovered in good faith.

    This brings up one of the most pressing issues in journalism today. People make allegations that they can’t prove, and then pass the information on. If you hear something terrible about a candidate, you sincerely worry about that person getting elected. But the problem with passing on that information is if it turns out to be false, then you’ve been used as a tool by political operatives to strike out at an opponent.

    A very sad case. Hope it gets resolved soon.

    1. This brings up one of the difficult issues with defending yourself against an accusation.

      How could you either prove, or disprove, that anyone did cocaine years ago? Someone could claim that they did coke with you, but how could anyone ever prove who was telling the truth without pictures or video showing lines? If someone did in fact witness someone doing drugs years ago, but they have no photographic or video evidence, how could they prove they were telling the truth? It would probably take multiple witnesses coming forward to corroborate, and even then, how would you know it wasn’t fabricated for political purposes? Claiming someone worked at a club could at least be backed up by employment records.

      If you suspect someone committed a crime, make a police report.

    2. Nothing in the “Trump dossier” was proven to be untrue, and wasn’t the source or impetus for the Mueller investigation.

      2. Natacha will never understand that the burden of proof is on the accuser. She conveniently leaves out the part about the Trump dossier never being proven. Perhaps we should just feel sorry for her condition because she doesn’t know any better. There is a name for those who are in denial of reality.

      3. We’ve covered this. You can’t prove a negative. Every 5th grader understands this. The STeele dossier is all a work of fiction. I’ve asked for what evidence set off Mueller, and the one answer offered, (Popodopolus booze fueled nightclub chat with the Australian Ambassador), falls apart when even Mueller thought so little of the contact, he never interviewed either side of the conversation.

        1. Democrats were guilty of what they accused Trump of doing. They paid millions for Russian disinformation, used as the basis for a FISA warrant, lied about their financial involvement, lied that it was used to get the FISA warrant, and then used this disinformation to accuse a sitting president of treason, regularly call for his impeachment, and destabilize his presidency. And what happened to everyone involved? Nothing.

          https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ironic-declassified-footnotes-show-steele-dossier-likely-compromised-by-russian-intelligence

          Declassified footnotes from the Justice Department watchdog report on the FBI’s Russia investigation revealed new details indicating British ex-spy Christoper Steele’s dossier was likely compromised by disinformation efforts carried out by Russian intelligence…

          The newly declassified footnotes also show the Crossfire Hurricane team received information from a still-redacted source “indicating the potential for Russian disinformation influencing Steele’s election reporting” seemingly related to the biggest salacious and unverified claims in Steele’s dossier — that Trump watched prostitutes urinate on a bed in Moscow during the Miss Universe Pageant in 2013 and that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen met with shady Russians in Prague in 2016.

          The Justice Department additionally indicated that one footnote that wasn’t declassified related to a foreign government effort to “penetrate” a business associate with Steele, a likely reference to his private research company, Orbis Business Intelligence.

          “It’s ironic that the Russian collusion narrative was fatally flawed because of Russian disinformation.”

          Declassified footnotes now show the FBI became aware that Steele’s dossier may have been compromised by Russian disinformation.

          Igor Danchenko, a 42-year-old Russian-trained lawyer born in Ukraine, was identified as Steele’s primary subsource after Graham released declassified documents that undercut the credibility of Steele’s dossier, including a three-day interview with Danchenko in January 2017 where Danchenko contradicted claims made in the dossier and undercut the FBI’s case against Trump campaign associate Carter Page.

          Graham said he wants to call the FBI analyst who prepared the memo and the case agent who interviewed Danchenko and ask, “Did you tell anybody above you that the dossier is a piece of Russian disinformation?” Graham dismissed criticism from the New York Times and others, including Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, that a source such as Danchenko had now been outed, claiming, “Russian disinformation was used by American law enforcement in weapons form to go after a sitting president. They’re laughing their a$$ off in Russia about this. They would give this guy a medal.”

      4. The dossier was the equivalent of the rumor that Hillary Clinton was running a chid sex trafficking ring out of a pizza parlor. Ludicrously fabricated. The sub source was surprised to discover that this information was in any way presented as factual.

        There are still plenty of people that will try to gaslight you that this didn’t happen.

        The sub source said this information was never supposed to be presented as fact. Most of it was “bar talk”. They’d never even heard of some of the allegations that were attributed to them as the source.

        https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/509645-unmasking-steele-dossier-source-was-confidentiality-ever-part-of-the-deal

        “Steele was a “non-U.S. Person,” and not an FBI source when he was de facto working for the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign to develop opposition research against Donald Trump. Steele subcontracted this work to Danchenko, also not a government agent or source, who, by his own admission during the FBI interview, provided what he categorized as “bar talk over beers” back to Steele. The fact that this kind of information in an FBI communication was classified as “secret” in the first place is unexplainable. How is bar talk by a collection of drinking friends a threat to the national security of the United States, the very description of what constitutes “secret” information?”

        The information that Danchenko provided was the last nail in the coffin of the Steele dossier, and it created a serious dilemma for the FBI. A substantial portion of the Russia collusion narrative, and all of the evidence used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, was no longer viable.

        How this all ends will be determined largely by Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham’s investigation and pending report into the origins of the failed Russia collusion story, a report that is expected to be released soon.

        https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/509645-unmasking-steele-dossier-source-was-confidentiality-ever-part-of-the-deal

      5. Nothing in the “Trump dossier” was proven to be untrue, and wasn’t the source or impetus for the Mueller investigation. — Natacha

        Wow… So you are one of those low information voters we’ve all heard about.

        1. People… persons should accept handmade tales as an article of faith. Take a knee, …

          Ironically, the investigation implicated the Democrats in collusion with foreign and domestic special and peculiar interests in an impeachment of displacent.

        2. The impetus was an Obama-backed coup in Kiev following a premature evacuation form Iraq lead to a transnational war (world war), Biden and likely father involved in transnational influence peddling (Ukraine, China), a request for investigation of former activities, and a multi-trimester period of media (e.g. CNN, steering engines) misinformation that stoked diversity and adversity (e.g. transnational insurrections, neighborhood incursions, etc). Meanwhile, an inordinate number of Democrats are caught in honey traps over their own conception and birth.

      6. Christopher Steele, the writer of the fiction piece, testifying in a British court that it was actually fiction isn’t enough “proof” for you?

      7. Novel jurisprudence, where there is a presumption of guilt until proven innocent beyond a reasonable doubt. A witch hunt, a warlock trial, for modern times, served with a nice Chianti, fentanyl, and a “burden”.

  13. Can the director of the CIA, William J. Burns be sued?

    CIA Director William J. Burns held a secret meeting Monday in Kabul with the Taliban’s de facto leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, in the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the Taliban and the Biden administration since the militants seized the Afghan capital, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.

    Infidel & Christian crusader, CIA Director William J. Burns begs Taliban war lord for clemency. It’s not top secret. Willy offered to be the Taliban’s washroom attendant.

  14. Why can’t we sue Biden for being a traitor, the current Benedict Arnold?…The staff in the US Embassy called him a traitor…the Taliban have given Biden 6 days to remove folks…then there will be consequences…would any of you want a friend or family member stuck over there???…this is much more important than some fake law suit with Candance Owens who I hope someday becomes our President!

  15. I’ve been thinking recently that, given these highly partisan times, the Court might want to scale back the threshold for public figures. Actual malice may exist here, but IIRC, it is hard to establish

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