President-elect Trump’s attorney asked a federal judge to move forward with his lawsuit against journalist Bob Woodward over published audio tapes of interviews the famed Watergate reporter conducted with Trump for a 2020 book.
The case has stalled for months as the judge weighs the defendants’ bid to dismiss the lawsuit, but the sudden activity comes as Trump mounts a more emboldened posture in scrutinizing media outlets in the wake of his November presidential victory.
“Since President Trump’s decisive victory resulting him being due to become the 47th President of the United States, there has been a renewed accountability among those who violated his rights over the last four years,” Trump attorney Robert Garson wrote in Tuesday’s letter.
Garson went on to note how ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos on Saturday apologized and paid $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit.
“President Trump is hopeful that the Defendants in this case follow Mr. Stephanopoulos’ expression of contrition,” the letter reads.
The request also comes a day after Trump told reporters he was planning to pursue further litigation against people in media he feels have treated him unfairly.
The former president sued The Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer on Tuesday over a poll released just before Election Day indicating Vice President Harris had a sizable lead in Iowa.
Trump sued Woodward in January 2023 after giving him 19 interviews for his book, “Rage.”
The lawsuit concedes Trump gave the interviews and permitted Woodward to record them, but the complaint claims the journalist and his publisher were not authorized to sell the audio recordings themselves.
The lawsuit names Woodward, Simon & Schuster and its then-parent company, Paramount Global, as defendants. Trump is seeking at least $49 million in damages.
Woodward, known for his reporting on the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon’s presidency, is today an associate editor at The Washington Post.
Representatives for the Post and Simon & Schuster did not immediately return a request for comment.
The defendants have moved to dismiss Trump’s lawsuit on various grounds, and their motion has remained pending for a year.
The judge has paused discovery pending resolution of that motion, but Trump’s attorney in the new letter said “the time has come to revisit the issue of discovery.”
“President Trump is keen to advance this case, vindicate his rights and ensure that future violations do not occur during his upcoming presidential term,” the letter states.
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