Christopher Krebs. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images
Former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director Chris Krebs on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Trump campaign lawyer Joe diGenova, the Trump campaign, and Newsmax Media for defamation, emotional distress and conspiracy.
Driving the news: DiGenova said in an interview aired on Newsmax on Nov. 30 that Krebs "should be drawn and quartered" and "taken out at dawn and shot," after Krebs went on "60 Minutes" to dispute President Trump's baseless claims that the election was rigged.
Details: The lawsuit claims that diGenova, the Trump campaign and Newsmax are "engaged in a conspiracy to defame and inflict severe emotional distress on" Krebs and other Republicans "who refuse to subserviently hew to the [Trump] campaign's false narratives" on election fraud.
- The lawsuit also says that the defendants knowingly defamed Krebs by suggesting that he committed treason — and provoked threats from users on social media — to cause Krebs "so much pain and suffering that he ... fall in line."
What they're saying: "Newsmax, the campaign, and diGenova have a symbiotic relationship," the lawsuit reads.
- "Newsmax disseminates and amplifies the [Trump] campaign's and diGenova’s attacks on perceived political threats and allegations of election stealing, which pleases viewers, prompts endorsements from President Trump, increases ratings, supports the political goals of the campaign, and helps raise more money from duped supporters."