RETRIBUTION: Palin Sues the NYT for Editorial Claiming Incitement of Giffords Shooting

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By Kody Fairfield

The former Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of Alaska is suing the New York Times (NYT) for libel over an editorial piece that suggested she was responsible for inciting a gunman to attack Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, in 2011.

CNN’s host, Jake Tapper, was one of the first to report on Twitter that Sarah Palin moved forward with a lawsuit against the publication.

Palin’s lawyer issued a statement on the matter:

“Today, Sarah Palin took a stand against The New York Times Company by filing a lawsuit which seeks to hold The Times accountable for stating that Governor Palin is part of a ‘sickeningly familiar pattern’ of politically motivated violence and that she incited the horrific 2011 shooting of Representative Gabby Giffords.”

According to CNN, Palin is seeking $75,000 in damages.

The editorial form NYT, which was published following the shooting at a GOP Congressional baseball practice that left Majority Whip Steve Scalise in critical condition, accused the former Alaskan Governor of “political incitement” ahead of the 2011 Giffords shooting, reports CNN. The editorial wrongly claimed an ad from Palin’s political action committee put “Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized cross hairs,” according to CNN.

CNN’s Tapper, in a second tweet, appeared to agree with the lawsuits characterization of claim. He explained that back in 2011 he reported there was “0 evidence Loughner was incited by Palin,” he mentioned that Loughner had been obsessed with Giffords for “years,” prior to Palin’s ad.

NYT did issue a correction to the editorial a day after its publication mentioning that “no such link was established” between Palin’s ad and the shooting. The correction also explained that the ad in question “depicted electoral districts, not individual Democratic lawmakers, beneath stylized cross hairs,” reported CNN.

CNN explained that even after the correction, NYT claimed that the error did not “undercut or weaken the argument of the piece.”

Clearly, Palin’s lawyers did not agree with NYT’s sentiment.

In the lawsuit, it’s claimed that “the Times conduct was committed knowingly, intentionally, willfully, wantonly and maliciously, with the intent to harm Mrs. Palin, or in blatant disregard of the substantial likelihood of causing her harm, thereby entitling Mrs. Palin to an award of punitive damages.”

A Times spokesperson told CNNMoney that the paper intended to defend itself against Palin’s claims.

“We have not reviewed the claim yet but will defend against any claim vigorously,” the spokesperson said.

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