Sarah Palin to Subpoena 23 New York Times Journalists

This is part of her defamation lawsuit against the paper.

July 27, 2017 11:33 am
Former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin speaks during the 2016 Western Conservative Summit the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, July 01, 2016. It is the 7th annual Western Conservative Summit
Former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin speaks during the 2016 Western Conservative Summit the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, July 01, 2016. It is the 7th annual Western Conservative Summit. (RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Denver Post via Getty Images

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin plans to subpoena close to two dozen New York Times reporters, editors and other workers, reports The New York Post, as part of her defamation lawsuit against the newspaper. Court documents revealed the case on Wednesday.

Palin is suing the paper over a June editorial linking one of her political action committee ads to the 2011 mass shooting that killed six people and severely wounded Arizona Democrat Gabby Giffords.

The New York Times put forward a motion arguing that the case be dismissed, because most of the twenty-three “non-party current and former Times reporters, editors and other employees” had nothing to do with the editorial at issue.

The Times argues that Palin cannot prove malice, which is the legal standard for claiming defamation, and therefore has no case.

The Times told the judge that the subpoenas are part of Palin’s effort to obtain “documents that might reveal, among other things, their ‘negative feelings’ toward her.”

Palin’s legal team is also planning to ask the paper to produce all internal communication it has had about her since 2011.

The former GOP vice presidential candidate’s lawyers claim the Times knew they were printing false statements in the editorial, but “fabricated the link anyway” to drive web traffic, reports the New York Post. 

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