Pro-Trump Outlet Gateway Pundit Files for Bankruptcy
Conservative news website The Gateway Pundit has declared bankruptcy as it fights multiple lawsuits over its claims questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 US presidential election....
Facts
- Conservative news website The Gateway Pundit has declared bankruptcy as it fights multiple lawsuits over its claims questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 US presidential election.1
- Founder Jim Hoft announced on the website Wednesday that The Gateway Pundit's parent company, TGP Communications, decided to seek Chapter 11 protection in the Southern District of Florida due to alleged 'progressive liberal lawfare attacks' against the outlet.2
- Two Georgia poll workers — Ruby Freeman and Wandrea 'Shaye' Moss — sued the St. Louis-based site in 2021 after the website accused them of illegally counting ballots in the 2020 election, claiming that the accusations were defamatory and caused them emotional distress.3
- The plaintiffs recently won a $148M defamation verdict against Rudy Giuliani, who himself claimed that The Gateway Pundit was 'patient zero' in the accusations against the workers.3
- TGP Communications said it has between $500K and $1M in assets. It's also one of several pro-Trump outlets facing lawsuits from election technology companies Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems, with the latter having won a $787M settlement from Fox News.4
- Hoft said that the Chapter 11 filing, which pauses lawsuits against debtors, was not an admission of guilt, but rather a 'common tool for reorganization.' The Gateway Pundit will continue publishing during its bankruptcy.5
Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2The Gateway Pundit, 3STLtoday.com, 4CNN and 5US News & World Report.
Narratives
- Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by NPR Online News. The Gateway Pundit was one of many right-wing outlets that peddled lies and conspiracy theories on behalf of Donald Trump, and it is facing repercussions for its continued lying. The outlet has been a fixture of the conspiratorial right for many years, but it went a bridge too far after the 2020 election, defaming poll workers and Dominion Voting Systems. As a news outlet, The Gateway Pundit cannot peddle lies about individuals and companies without facing lawsuits. They are simply getting what they signed up for.
- Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Jeff Clark on X. The double standard against pro-Trump media outlets and figures is on display yet again as Jim Hoft and The Gateway Pundit get buried by left-wing lawfare. It is especially concerning to see hit pieces coming from 'news' websites like NPR and CNN, which pushed the Russiagate hoax for years with impunity. Like many other independent outlets on the right, The Gateway Pundit is facing an onslaught from the left-leaning establishment for challenging the mainstream agenda. This injustice must end.
