Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) announced The Iowa pollster's decision to appoint him as his agent on Tuesday stems from the fact that Trump lost to Vice President Harris in a November poll conducted by prominent pollster Ann Selzer. He was involved in a lawsuit.
“Mr. Trump's lawsuit, brought under Iowa law for 'consumer fraud,' violates long-standing constitutional principles and has no merit under Iowa law,” FIRE said in a statement. article Following the announcement.
“This lawsuit is the very definition of a 'SLAPP' lawsuit, a strategic lawsuit against public participation. Such tactical motions are made purely for the purpose of imposing punitive legal costs on perceived adversaries. “The case is being brought forward as a legal matter and not because it has any merit or potential for success to them,” they added. “So this lawsuit… It's a punishment”
The group maintains that the poll was an outlier that unintentionally produced inaccurate predictions and did not violate any laws.
President Trump made claims about polls published in newspapers. des moines register The purpose was to “deceive” voters.
“Millions of Americans, including Plaintiffs, Iowans, and Iowans who contributed to President Trump’s campaign and its affiliates (the “Trump 2024 Campaign”) were deceived by the fabricated Harris poll. ” the former president's lawyer wrote. legal filing.
“President Trump has issued influential and widely read statements on the issue, writing in Truth Social that, among other things, Mr. Selzer's misconduct has caused 'great distrust and anxiety at a critical time.' Ta.”
Selzer's lawyers argue that the lawsuit violates his First Amendment rights and reiterates Selzer's initial public statements that he had no intent to commit fraud.
“I'm confused as to what motive anyone thinks I had in polling like this,” Selzer said at a news conference. interview On PBS's “Iowa Press.”
“So the idea that I intentionally set this up to have this reaction, even though I've never done that before and I've had plenty of opportunities to do so, is not my ethics.”
