Why don't any US politicians sue people (such as Coulter etc.) for defamation? It happens elsewhere?? I can just imagine the huge windfall these guys would probably get if any of them decided to sue people who make wild allegations against them. Probably would pay for their whole Presidential Campaigns.
2007-02-21 18:09:39 · 10 answers · asked by jsplus10 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
They can't . They are public property while they hold office.
2007-02-21 18:14:57 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Coulter, and similar bottom of the barrel political pundits (I despise almost all of them), is probably very cautious in the words she twists. You see, when a Congressman says something on the floor of Congress, or the President says something at the White House, or when a politician is campaigning, you can legally twist their words so they appear to say anything you want them to say. This is because they are public government figures, and when they are working, their words aren't protected.
This happened a year or so back. I'm sorry I can't find any documentation, but there was a Congressman who tried to sue somebody for taking a video recording of a speech on the floor or Congress, and chopping up the speech to make an offensive speech (similar to what Letterman does). The Congressman wasn't successful, since he made the speech while at the capitol building.
If a normal person off the street were talking, and you edited (or flat out lied) about what they said, they could probably sue you for defamation or something. If you look hard, I'm willing to bet that most (if not all) of what political pundits lie about is what Congressmen say while they're being Congressmen.
Kind of long winded, but I hope this helps.
2007-02-21 18:22:39 · answer #2 · answered by amg503 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Gee Jessie Coulter is an old country singer, I think she was married to Waylon Jennings. People in the public eye dont have the same rights to sue.
2007-02-21 18:22:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The First Amendment and the Supreme Court's interpretation of it in the case of Sullivan v. New York Times (1964) pretty much prohibit those kinds of lawsuits. In order for politicians to be able to sue they, the politicians, have to clear a pretty high hurdle in terms of proving malicious intent.
2007-02-21 18:37:00 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Thistle my expensive, you are able to sue human beings in the U.S. for issues a lot extra petty than that. human beings sue one yet another each and each in this united states by potential of the tens of millions over no longer something. They do it in the hopes that they might get the different adult men funds. I had a cousin who replaced into going to sue facebook for 5 million U.S. funds over some paranoid bullshit approximately identity robbery.
2016-10-16 05:39:35 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1st Amendment rights. The same reason why people can't sue Hillary Clinton for the bullsh*t she writes.
2007-02-21 18:20:51 · answer #6 · answered by C J 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A public figure has to be able to take the heat, or get out of the kitchen.
2007-02-21 18:20:50 · answer #7 · answered by michinoku2001 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, most are fair game for the media! A US Court in Florida has already ruled it is OK for Fox News to lie, even if they know it is a lie when they report it!
2007-02-21 18:17:10 · answer #8 · answered by cantcu 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You can't sue if its the truth.
2007-02-21 18:16:46 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can't win a suit when it is truth.
2007-02-21 18:16:06 · answer #10 · answered by howdigethere 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋