President Donald Trump launched a $15 billion defamation lawsuit late Monday against the New York Times and several of its top reporters over articles and a book that claim he built his wealth and reputation partly through fraud.
The lawsuit also points to an interview conducted by the Times ahead of last year’s elections, in which retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly, who once served as Trump’s chief of staff, said he believed Trump fit the definition of a fascist.
Trump’s attorneys further argued that the Times misrepresented history by giving television producer Mark Burnett the credit for the success of NBC’s reality hit The Apprentice, instead of Trump, who was both its host and central figure.
