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Trump threatens suit over report
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Trump threatens $5 billion defamation suit against Center for American Progress over National Guard report. The suit aims to silence a critic, testing First Amendment protections.
Background
The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, published a report on July 13 concluding that Trump's National Guard deployments to cities had no measurable effect on violent crime. Trump, angered by the report, threatened a $5 billion defamation lawsuit unless the group retracted it. This is part of a pattern of Trump using legal threats against perceived enemies.
How it unfolded
- Jul 13, 2026Center for American Progress publishes report concluding National Guard deployments had no measurable effect on violent crime.
- Aug 17, 2026Trump's personal lawyer Alejandro Brito sends letter to CAP demanding retraction by Friday or face a $5 billion lawsuit.
- Aug 21, 2026CAP responds, calling the suit 'absurd' and refusing to retract; news of the threat becomes public.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Trump's lawyer says the report contains 'false, malicious, and defamatory statements' and demands retraction.
- Public
- CAP president Neera Tanden says the lawsuit is 'a transparent attempt to silence us' and that they will not cower.
- Analysts
- Legal experts note the suit could force CAP to spend money fighting it, even if it is unlikely to succeed in court.
Still unverified
The actual filing of the lawsuit has not occurred; the threat is via a lawyer's letter.