Newsmax moves to distance itself from Trump’s baseless claims of US election fraud

Smartmatic issues warning to conservative channels and Dominion demands Sidney Powell retract claims

Right-wing cable news network Newsmax has issued a statement in an apparent attempt to distance itself from baseless claims of election fraud related to Dominion Voting Systems and voting software Smartmatic after weeks of coverage dedicated to airing conspiracies in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.

In a statement posted to the network’s website and aired in a video statement read by host John Tabacco on Monday, the network seeks to “clarify its news coverage and note that it has not reported as true" several claims supported by its guests and contributors.

Its statement goes on to say that the network has found “no evidence” showing that either companies have manipulated election results, nor any evidence that the companies have any business relationship or relationships to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Venezuelan government, George Soros, “or any foreign government or entity."

The network’s statement follows legal notices from Smartmatic demanding that Newsmax, One America News Network and Fox News retract their coverage, after Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and right-wing allies falsely connected Smartmatic to states where Donald Trump’s legal team has contested election results.

Mr Giuliani has falsely claimed that Dominion “was a front for SMARTMATIC, who was really doing the computing” for results in “Michigan, Arizona and Georgia and other states.”

A statement from Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica said the network has “no evidence to support their attacks on Smartmatic because there is no evidence.”

"This campaign was designed to defame Smartmatic and undermine legitimately conducted elections,” he said. "Our efforts are more than just about Smartmatic or any other company. This campaign is an attack on election systems and election workers in an effort to depress confidence in future elections and potentially counter the will of the voters, not just here, but in democracies around the world."

The New York Times has reported that Smartmatic has retained defamation lawyer J Erik Connolly, who successfully settled a beef producer’s lawsuit against ABC News following the “pink slime” controversy in 2017.

Dominion has also enlisted libel lawyer Tom Clare, who has threatened to pursue legal action against the networks on the company’s behalf.

In a letter dated 16 December, the company slammed the “coordinated media circus and fundraising scheme” helmed by Ms Powell and others that has put the company’s “employees’ lives at risk and caused enormous harm to the company."

”Your outlandish accusations are demonstrably false,” the letter says, pointing out that Ms Powell’s allegations about the company have not been made in court, “effectively denying Dominion the opportunity to disprove” her litigation’s “false accusations.”

“While you are entitled to your own opinions, Ms Powell, you are not entitled to your own facts,” the letter says.

Dominion’s letter also asks Ms Powell to preserve documents, emails, messages, recordings and other notes related to her claims – signalling potential litigation over defamation claims.

If she refuses to retract her claims, “that will be viewed as additional evidence of actual malice,” the letter warns.