Fox News may face lawsuit over Tucker Carlson’s January 6 conspiracy theory..[updated]

[mystery-ak]

Fox News may face lawsuit over Tucker Carlson’s January 6 conspiracy theory

Network could see ‘fairly strong’ suit from Ray Epps, who Carlson alleged was a secret government agent behind the attack

Gloria Oladipo
@gaoladipo
Mon 10 Jul 2023 15.37 EDT
Last modified on Mon 10 Jul 2023 15.53 EDT

Experts say conservative network Fox News could face a “a fairly strong” lawsuit from a man who Tucker Carlson repeatedly accused of working as a government agent and carrying out the January 6 insurrection.

Carlson, who was fired from the network in April, repeatedly alleged that Ray Epps was a secret government agent who coordinated the January 6 riots, the New York Times reported.

Epps, a Trump supporter and former marine, has been at the center of a far-right conspiracy theory after an article by a rightwing website argued that he was spared from criminal charges because of his covert role.

Carlson and other rightwing figures, including members of Congress, have latched onto the false theory that Epps was a government agent involved in whipping up the January 6 attack.

In almost 20 episodes of his talkshow, Carlson reiterated the conspiracy theory that Epps was an undercover operative who “helped stage-manage the insurrection”.

Carlson repeatedly argued that Epps was recorded on camera urging others to enter the Capitol, but never entered the building himself.

In one 10-minute video posted to YouTube, Carlson claimed that it was “highly strange” that Epps hadn’t been arrested and alluded that the Times’ coverage on Epps was attempting to “cover something up”.

more
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jul/10/fox-news-tucker-carlson-ray-epps-jan-6-insurrection-lawsuit

[mystery-ak]

Fox News Sued By Ray Epps Over Claim He Was At Center Of January 6th Conspiracy

By Ted Johnson   

 Fox News is facing a new defamation lawsuit from a man who claims that former host Tucker Carlson falsely identified him as an undercover FBI agent who triggered the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

The lawsuit was filed in Delaware Superior Court, the same venue where the network recently faced the prospect of a trial over Dominion Voting Systems’ claim that its hosts and guests amplified a false narrative that the company rigged the 2020 presidential election. Just before opening statements were to begin in the case, Fox News settled for $787.5 million.

 Epps voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 and, believing that the latter election was stolen from him, was among those who trekked to Washington, D.C. in January, 2021 to participate in protests, according to the lawsuit.

Although Epps was outside the Capitol on January 6, he “did not believe violence was appropriate,” acted to deescalate the situation, and ultimately left the grounds for his hotel, according to his lawsuit. But as recently as earlier this year, according to the lawsuit, Carlson cited Epps as a central figure in the conspiracy theory that the attack on the Capitol was orchestrated by the government, and floated the notion that Epps was being protected by federal law enforcement.

more
https://deadline.com/2023/07/fox-news-defamation-ray-epps-january-6th-1235435648/

[mountaineer]

Although Epps was outside the Capitol on January 6, he “did not believe violence was appropriate,” acted to deescalate the situation, and ultimately left the grounds for his hotel, according to his lawsuit.

So those videos of him trying to fire up the crowd to storm the freaking Capitol are what? AI?

Also:

Darren J. Beattie 🌐
@DarrenJBeattie
·
Apr 4
Can't get over how amazing it is that Ray Epps' new lawyer works for David Brock and before that worked for Perkins Coie, the disgraced law firm that helped cook up the Steele Dossier for Clinton

[mountaineer]

Seriously, Ray. You might want to shut up now.

https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1679124601232654338

[Right_in_Virginia]

Greg Price
@greg_price11

Ray Epps: “We need to go into the Capitol!”

FBI: “We’re arresting everyone who was near the Capitol except the guy who told people to go into the building”

Tucker Carlson: “Why has this guy who told people several times to go into the Capitol not been arrested?”

Media: “Tucker is promoting conspiracy theories!”

Ray Epps: “I’m suing Tucker!”

1:26 PM · Jul 12, 2023

[Right_in_Virginia]

 


"@RepTroyNehls to FBI Director Wray: "Are you going to arrest Mr. Epps? Yes or No?... It appears to me you are protecting this guy." ((Video)

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1679218766519980040

[mystery-ak]

Fox will settle with Epps so there will be no trial...Epps will get away with this..

[mystery-ak]

Ray Epps Sues Fox News for Defamation, Claims He Was Forced to Sell His Home

12 Jul 2023

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A former Donald Trump supporter who became the center of a conspiracy theory about Jan. 6, 2021, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Wednesday, saying the network made him a scapegoat for the U.S. Capitol insurrection.

Raymond Epps, a former Marine who said he was forced from his Arizona home due to threats, is asking for unspecified damages and a jury trial.

He filed his lawsuit in Superior Court in Delaware, the same court where Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox for lies broadcast following the 2020 presidential election. Shortly before a trial was to begin this spring, Fox agreed to pay Dominion $787 million to settle the charges.

Fox had no immediate comment on Epps’ lawsuit.

Epps, who had traveled to Washington for the Jan. 6 demonstration, was falsely accused by Fox of being a government agent who was whipping up trouble that would be blamed on Trump supporters, the lawsuit claims.

“In the aftermath of the events of January 6th, Fox News searched for a scapegoat to blame other than Donald Trump or the Republican Party,” the lawsuit said. “Eventually, they turned on one of their own.”

Although the lawsuit mentions Fox’s Laura Ingraham and Will Cain, former Fox host Tucker Carlson was cited as the leader in promoting the theory. Epps was featured in more than two dozen segments on Carlson’s prime-time show, the lawsuit said. Fox News fired Carlson shortly after the Dominion settlement was announced.

The lawsuit said that Carlson “was bluntly telling his viewers that it was a fact that Epps was a government informant. And they believed him.”

more
https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2023/07/12/ray-epps-sues-fox-news-for-defamation-claims-he-was-forced-to-sell-his-home/

[mountaineer]

Discovery should be fun.

[American Girl]

Wait, so two-and-a-half years later, Ray Epps is getting arrested?!?

What on earth...

Probably all for show then he can be placed in a protection program and have a good life somewhere and be set up for life paid by the government for his services

https://www.usasupreme.com/screenshot-ray-epps-lawsuit-against-fox-news-reveals-he-was-just-an-fbi-pawn-and-they-are-cutting-him-loose-here-are-the-details/

[MOD3]

Merged threads

[mountaineer]

     Jul 13, 2023
NARRATIVE SHIFT: Liberal media now refers to Jan 6 as ‘rallies,’ 'demonstrations,’ and ‘protests’ as they pivot to defend Ray Epps
The new framing comes as Ray Epps launched a lawsuit against Fox News, charging the network with having insinuated that he is or was a federal agent.
Libby Emmons

The Washington Post now refers to what happened on January 6, 2021 as "pro-Trump rallies." All WaPo's previous reporting called the events of that day an "insurrection" and equated those who participated in it with "secessionists."

The new framing comes as Ray Epps launched a lawsuit against Fox News, charging the network with having insinuated that he is or was a federal agent and was at the Trump rally at the Ellipse in DC on January 6 in that capacity, with the task of riling people up to riot.

Ousted former Fox host Tucker Carlson dug into this question, which was made more poignant as the arrests of January 6 participants, to use the new lingo, continued and Epps, who was captured on video at the "demonstrations," was not among them. ... The Post Millennial

[mystery-ak]

Ray Epps says NOW he’s about to be charged for Jan. 6, blames ‘relentless attacks by Fox’
July 13, 2023 | Melissa Fine

More than 2 1/2 years after the infamous Jan. 6 events in Washington, D.C., Ray Epps, who was caught on video urging protestors to “go into the Capitol,” revealed in a defamation lawsuit against Fox News that he is about to be charged for his actions — a move the Department of Justice would not have made were it not for that pesky Tucker Carlson, according to the complaint.

Epps has been suspected by many, including Carlson, to be a federal agent.

more
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2023/07/13/ray-epps-says-now-hes-about-to-be-charged-for-jan-6-blames-relentless-attacks-by-fox-1376748/

[Bigun]

Ray Epps may or may not be, or have been, a federal agent.  That would depend entirely on how the word "agent" is defined. Much the same as how the word "income" is defined in our tax laws.

[Wingnut]

Poor Ray.   Damn shame if he gets what is coming.