A Belated Apology for '2000 Mules' - WSJ Editorial

[question everything]

The movie “2000 Mules” was supposed to be the definitive proof that Democrats stole the 2020 election from President Trump. Last week it was quietly retracted. Salem Media Group, which co-produced this Trumpian fantasy mockumentary, ceased distribution of the film and issued an apology to Mark Andrews, one of the Georgia voters depicted as an illegal ballot “mule.”

Mr. Andrews is suing for defamation, and Salem aims to shift blame to the film’s purported vote-fraud-fighting heroes. “We relied on representations made to us by Dinesh D’Souza and True the Vote, Inc. (‘TTV’) that the individuals depicted in the videos provided to us by TTV, including Mr. Andrews, illegally deposited ballots,” the company said. “We have learned that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has cleared Mr. Andrews of illegal voting activity in connection with the event depicted.”

Better late than never, as the unpunctual say, though what a lame excuse. The movie included surveillance tape of Mr. Andrews putting ballots into an official drop box. “What you are seeing is a crime,” the host, Mr. D’Souza, says grimly. “These are fraudulent votes.” But the film offered no actual evidence of wrongdoing by Mr. Andrews, who has said for years that he was legally returning his family’s votes.

State investigators cleared him at a public meeting in May 2022, which was reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That was three days before “2000 Mules” hit movie theaters. Mr. Andrews’s legal complaints, filed later that year, say the defendants subsequently published a “2000 Mules” companion book, even after his attorney sent letters to them “putting them on notice of the falsity of their statements.”

(snip)

Shortly after the movie’s release, Salem bragged it had been seen a million times already and grossed over $10 million. Whatever its payout to Mr. Andrews, it could be only the beginning of his compensation. Mr. D’Souza did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment. But True the Vote seems determined to go to trial. “The war that is being waged against liberty is plain for all to see,” it said last week. “If we must stand alone, so be it, we will stand.” That could be costly.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/2000-mules-salem-media-lawsuit-mark-andrews-dinesh-dsouza-2020-election-true-the-vote-1565ace0?st=lsuixgbqflphdym&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

[calimary]

1. All you need to know is that Dinesh D'Souza was involved.

That tells you everything. Lying cheating scumbag.

[MomInTheCrowd]

2. Played well to the fools- too bad this revelation has will never repair the damage...

[58Sunliner]

3. Salem pretending they didn't know when they didn't care.