This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A judge hearing a defamation lawsuit brought against CNN for mischaracterizing a company helping with the evacuation of victims when Joe Biden pulled America's troops out of Afghanistan and gave the country to the Taliban is allowing network show host Jake Tapper to be grilled in a deposition.
This after the judge expressly doubted Tapper's truthfulness.
WND previously reported when the declining network attempted to justify its description as a criminal of Navy veteran Zachary Young, whose company worked to get people out of Afghanistan when Biden's retreat – and abandonment of billions of dollars worth of American war machinery – came out of the White House.
It supported its description of Young as a criminal because he would be considered criminal under Shariah law – that set of codes imposed by Islam.
The rules are known for their extremism, such as a call for the amputation of a thief's hands, for killing people for criticizing the Quran, for killing people who deny Muhammad was a prophet, for killing people who lead a Muslim away from Islam, for killing a non-Muslim man who marries a Muslim woman, for killing homosexuals (although sodomizing young boys is allowed), and for "taqiyya" or lying to non-Muslims.
A Revolver report had explained, "They're legitimizing (and defending) Sharia Law, which routinely abuses women, sometimes to death, to try and win that billion-dollar lawsuit. In the process, they're also branding the Navy Vet at the center of the defamation suit a 'criminal' for trying to save women's lives."
Now constitutional expert and George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley notes that the fight is over CNN's agenda to cast Young in a bad light through a report about "Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success."
On the program, "The Lead with Jake Tapper," CNN's Alex Marquardt claimed "desperate Afghans are being exploited," naming Young.
The judge already has ruled Young can seek punitive damages because he "sufficiently proffered evidence of actual malice, express malice, and a level of conduct outrageous enough to open the door for him to seek punitive damages."
Those included internal messaging at CNN that the network wanted the story to be Young's "funeral" and its descriptions of Young in obscene terms.
The judge's decision to allow the deposition of Tapper followed his reported comments that "I kind of have a hard time believing what Mr. Tapper put in that declaration.," Turley reported.
"Since that is a sworn declaration made under penalty of perjury, it was a stinging rebuke," Turley said.
Depositions already have detailed the evidence in the case, and the next step is to consider the network's financial position.
Turley said, "The court believes that Tapper could have some relevant information since he holds one of the most lucrative contracts at CNN and is familiar with the corporate finances concerning his show."
Please be aware of multiple instances of offensive language in the following:
CNN claims it was right to suggest criminality in Young's behavior because, "To get women out, the operators on the ground were required either to break the law directly or to find someone to break the law for them." That would be Shariah law.
