A right-wing website that spread false claims of voting fraud against two Georgia election workers has filed for bankruptcy as it tries to fend off a defamation lawsuit.
The Gateway Pundit accused Fulton County election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss of counting “suitcases” of fraudulent ballots during the 2020 presidential election – a claim that state investigators quickly debunked. The workers are seeking compensatory and punitive damages in a defamation lawsuit filed in St. Louis, where its founder lives.
Last week the website’s parent company, TGP Communications, filed for bankruptcy in Florida. In a statement posted on the Gateway Pundit website, founder Jim Hoft said the bankruptcy filing “is not an admission of fault or culpability.” He blamed “the progressive liberal lawfare attacks against our media outlet.”
A representative of Freeman and Moss declined to comment.
The Gateway Pundit’s bankruptcy is the latest consequence for media outlets and individuals who falsely claimed that voting fraud led to Donald Trump’s 2020 loss to Joe Biden.
In December, Freeman and Moss won a $148 million defamation verdict against Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and Trump attorney who spread false allegations against them. Giuliani also has filed for bankruptcy.
Additionally, the election workers won an undisclosed settlement from One America News Network two years ago. As part of the settlement, the network admitted there was no evidence they committed fraud.
In addition to civil damages, the false voting fraud allegations accusations led to criminal charges against Giuliani and others in Georgia. Federal prosecutors also cited the allegations when they indicted Trump last summer.
Freeman and Moss were featured in security video from election-night counting at State Farm Arena that Giuliani and others said was a “smoking gun” for voting fraud. It was not.
State investigators reviewed the entire video – not just the snippets Giuliani highlighted – and interviewed numerous people who were involved in or witnessed the counting. They found the video showed nothing but ordinary ballot counting.
The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office also investigated and found nothing improper happened. Nonetheless, Trump, Giuliani and others continued to accuse Freeman and Moss by name of fraud. The election workers endured months of death threats and racist harassment, and Freeman ultimately fled her home.
The workers filed their lawsuit against The Gateway Pundit in 2021. In its bankruptcy filing, the company said it has estimated assets of $500,000 to $1 million and liabilities of $100,000 to $500,000.
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