One the most frequent refrains heard from Donald Trump when he doesn’t get his way or doesn’t like the way something has gone in relation to a business deal or the results of a primary is to threaten a lawsuit to rectify the wrong that he feels has been done to him. According to Trump, he always wins such lawsuits, even though a cursory glance at past legal actions involving Trump shows this to be patently false.
But now the proverbial shoe is on the other foot, with Trump and his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, being sued by GOP consultant Cheri Jacobus for defamation.
The origin of the lawsuit comes from Jacobus’ criticisms of Trump on Fox News shows. Jacobus is not a fan of the Donald, so Lewandowski accused her of coming to the Trump campaign seeking employment and being rebuffed. Jacobus says she never sought consulting work with Trump, but the candidate himself tweeted out what his campaign manager had said:
Great job on @donlemon tonight @kayleighmcenany @cherijacobus begged us for a job. We said no and she went hostile. A real dummy! @CNN
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2016
Really dumb @CheriJacobus. Begged my people for a job. Turned her down twice and she went hostile. Major loser, zero credibility!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2016
Jacobus maintains that the Trump campaign actually reached out to her, wondering if she might be interested in working for them:
Lewandowski told me that if I worked for Trump campaign "Mr. Trump" could then get me a FOX contract. I almost laughed out loud. Bribe much?
— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) January 27, 2016
when I started speaking out against Trump after his disgusting POW comments Lewandowski got nervous about me and for good reason
— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) January 27, 2016
when FOX went full on pro Trump, my bookings on FOX and FBN ceased abruptly. So yes, FOX does cave to Trump's demands
— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) January 27, 2016
In the defamation lawsuit, Jacobus is seeking $4 million in damages, alleging that the false claims from Trump and Lewandowski have caused “enormous damage to her career and reputation, significant emotional distress.” Her attorney Jay R. Butterman said defamation and libel lawsuits are indeed difficult to prove, but Jacobus decided to go forward with the filing because:
“Donald Trump far exceeded the legitimate bounds of free expression in his false attacks on Ms. Jacobus. He should be held accountable for his actions.”
The suit also gives us a glimpse into the early days of the Trump for President campaign. It details several interactions with the Trump operation late last spring, and it even alleges that Jim Dornan, a Trump aide who has since left the campaign, initially sought to recruit Ms. Jacobus as a consultant for the expanding Trump campaign operation.
While the case will most likely not go far before the November election, it does indeed seem that karma in the form of a lawsuit has come back to bite Trump and his 2016 campaign operation.