News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said under oath that several Fox News hosts were spreading false conspiracy theories that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, according to court documents released Monday.
Murdoch made the claim as part of a $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems. The company sued the news giant in 2021 after several hosts promoted wild and unfounded claims that voting machines were used to deny Trump’s election, including lying that the devices could be removed to switch votes for one candidate to another.
There is no evidence to support these claims. Trump lost the election to President Joe Biden by more than 7 million votes.
When pressed by Dominion’s lawyers during a deposition last month, Murdoch said Fox News hosts Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro all endorsed the notion that the election was rigged.
“Yes,” Murdoch said in his deposition, “He agreed.”
He confirmed that the false statement came from the host, but did not say whether Fox as an entity endorsed the statement. Still, the revelations will add to Dominion’s evidence as it seeks to recoup the massive damages it claimed after the attack.
“I would like us to be strong in denouncing it in hindsight,” Murdoch added about claims of false elections.
Fox defended himself in a fiery statement after the deposition was released.
“Dominion’s claim has always been more about what will generate headlines than what can withstand legal and factual scrutiny, as illustrated now by being forced to reduce its claim for damages by more than half a billion dollars after its own experts refuted the claims as unreliable,” he said. company spokesperson.
Dominion maintained that it will continue with existing settings.
“The damages claim remains,” a company spokesman said. “As Fox also knows, our damages exceed $1.6 billion.”
The New York Times reports the latest court filing by Dominion’s lawyers also includes a plea from former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan said under oath that he reached out to Murdoch and his son, Lachlan Murdoch, that Fox “will not spread conspiracy theories” and should “move away from Donald Trump.”
A separate legal filing earlier this month revealed text messages between the main Fox News host and a network executive. The missives repeatedly bashed two key architects of the election conspiracy – Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani – and expressed concern with Trump’s falsehood about the loss.
Fox’s lawyers maintained the host’s comments were protected under the First Amendment, arguing the coverage of Trump and the conspiracy constituted news.
“A reasonable viewer will be ready to understand that the hosts are not espousing the President’s allegations alone, but they are providing a forum for the principal architect of the legal challenge,” said the company’s lawyer in a brief this month.