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By James Bickerton
News Reporter
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President Trump had a victory in his ongoing legal battle against the Pulitzer Prize Board on Monday when presiding Judge Robert L. Pegg rejected a Protective Order Governing Discovery motion that would have guarded the board's internal communications.
Newsweek contacted Trump's attorney Quincy Bird for comment via online inquiry form on the website of the legal firm that employs him, Weber, Crabb & Wein.
Why It Matters
Trump filed a lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2022 after it awarded its 2018 National Reporting Prize to The New York Times and The Washington Post in response to their reporting on alleged Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election.
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The lawsuit claimed the publications peddled a "now-debunked theory" alleging collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia, and demanded the 2018 prize be withdrawn by the Pulitzer Prize Board and a full apology issued.
What To Know
On Monday Judge Pegg, who is presiding over the case at the 19th Judicial Circuit Court in Okeechobee County, Florida, dismissed a Protective Order Governing Discovery issued by the board's legal team which would have restricted access to its internal communications for the case.
In his ruling Pegg wrote: "The rule requires 'an affirmative showing of annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense' from such party or person … Defendants have failed to meet this requirement, as there is no factual support in the record demonstrating that any defendant, much less each defendant, would be subject to annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense if a protective order is not entered."
In a statement sent to Newsweek the Pulitzer Prize Board said: "President Trump has made clear in political speeches and legal filings that he intends to use discovery to intimidate and punish.
"The request for a protective order is common practice intended to safeguard the parties involved from potential threats, harassment, and harm. While we are disappointed by the judge's decision, the Pulitzer Board is evaluating our options and we remain committed to continuing our full-throated defense of journalism."
The Pulitzer Prize Board has previously insisted that the 2018 award to The New York Times and The Washington Post would stand.
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On its website the Pulitzer Prize Board said its national reporting award was issued: "For deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nation's understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-elect's transition team and his eventual administration."
A 448-page report released in April 2019 by Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded that while it "identified numerous links between individuals with ties to the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign" the investigation "did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."
Both the CIA and FBI concluded the Russian state did intervene in the 2016 presidential election with the aim of helping Trump. Mueller's report identified 12 Russian military intelligence agents who it said were responsible for the 2016 Democratic National Committee email leak, which damaged the campaign of Hillary Clinton.
What People Are Saying
Speaking to Fox News Digital Trump attorney Bird commented: "President Trump is committed to holding those who traffic in deception and fake news to account. The defendants, hiding behind the once-prestigious Pulitzer Prizes, attempted to resurrect a left-wing hoax by giving, as well as continuing to stand by and republishing, its disgraced award to the organizations that drove the infamous 'Russia Russia Russia' hoax.
"This was a defamatory scam designed to damage President Trump's image and presidential campaign. After today's win in court, this case will now proceed to a very thorough discovery process and President Trump is committed to seeing this case through to a just conclusion."
What Happens Next
The courtroom battle between Trump and the Pulitzer Prize Board will shortly enter the discovery phase, with the rival legal teams continuing to advocate on behalf of their respective clients.
In November ABC News issued a public apology to Trump and agreed to pay $16 million toward his presidential library and legal fees over comments anchor George Stephanopoulos made during a broadcast. Referring to the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit Stephanopoulos falsely claimed Trump had been "found liable for rape," when he was actually found liable for sexual assault as defined under New York law.
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