The Gateway Pundit, a rightwing website known for spreading election conspiracies, will declare bankruptcy as it faces lawsuits for defamation.
The site’s parent company, TGP Communications, will file for bankruptcy in Florida “as a result of the progressive liberal lawfare attacks against our media outlet”, founder Jim Hoft wrote on the website.
Those lawsuits include one from the Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who sued the organization in Missouri, where it is based, after the website perpetuated false claims that the two had been involved in election fraud in Georgia.
In a separate case, Freeman and Moss secured a $148m judgment against Rudy Giuliani for spreading election lies about them and defaming them. After the verdict, the former New York City mayor and Trump attorney filed for bankruptcy, complicating whether or how Freeman and Moss can get paid.
Gateway Pundit also faces a suit in Colorado from a former Dominion Voting Systems employee, Eric Coomer, who alleges the outlet defamed him by claiming he rigged the election against Trump.
Election offices have faced waves of harassing messages after Gateway Pundit stories have been published, often targeting staff members with threatening and abusive language.
The defamation lawsuits are one strategy pro-democracy groups, private companies and individuals are using to attempt to hold people and organizations accountable for spreading election lies, especially ones that cause harm to people like Freeman, Moss and Coomer. Those on the defense often refer to these lawsuits as “lawfare”.
Hoft said that the company seeking bankruptcy protection was “not an admission of fault or culpability”, but instead a way to reorganize and consolidate lawsuits “when attacks are coming from all sides”. The company will be able to put the lawsuits it faces into one court, he wrote.