CNN's Jake Tapper Accused of Lying in Sworn Deposition as His Own X Posts Get Turned Against Him
Things are not going well at CNN.
And this latest billion dollar nightmare actually has to do with CNN’s usual nemesis: the ratings.
But the issue at hand isn’t about CNN’s lagging ratings themselves — it’s about what CNN talking head Jake Tapper actually thinks of those ratings.
First, some quick background via Fox News: “Tapper gave his deposition in a pre-recorded video that was presented to jurors on Tuesday in the trial brought by U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young, who has accused CNN of defaming him in a report that first aired on ‘The Lead with Jake Tapper’ in November 2021.”
It’s a billion-dollar lawsuit, per News Busters.
In short, Young is accusing CNN of suggesting that “he illegally profited off desperate people trying to flee Afghanistan following the Biden administration’s military withdrawal,” according to Fox.
Fox further noted that Young is accusing CNN of “implying he was involved in ‘black market’ dealings and ruining his professional reputation as a result.”
It’s already an ugly, thorny situation — one which was seemingly exacerbated when Tapper’s own rhetoric was swiftly and thoroughly debunked.
(It should be noted that lying under oath is a federal crime.)
During Tapper’s pre-recorded deposition that was released Tuesday, he made some curious claims that internet sleuths were quick to call him out on.
According to News Busters, Tapper explained how Neilsen ratings work, before claiming: “I do not pay attention to the Neilsen ratings. So, yeah.”
That little quip raised quite a few eyebrows, and it’s easy to see why based on Tapper’s own recent X history:
Ratings go up and ratings go down, but UNITED STATES OF SCANDAL had the highest ratings in the key demo in cable news on Sunday … and was the most watched show on CNN!
Thank you so much for watching!
USOS will be back on air a week from Sunday, on March 17! https://t.co/k8jp2tcGrB
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) March 7, 2024
Thanks for watching!
“CNN Sees Gain From ‘United States Of Scandal’”…CNN “did see promise with the debut during the month of its Sunday evening limited series United States of Scandal …The third episode of the show topped the demo in its Sunday slot…” https://t.co/JlRRceeBGp
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 29, 2024
In fact, Fox News specifically found that Tapper is a fan of the “ratings go up and ratings go down” phrase.
Ratings go up and ratings go down, but we are honored that you are choosing to watch our show. Thank you! https://t.co/MUE4GAxyeY
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 27, 2021
Similar claims can be found on Tapper’s Facebook, as well.
The U.S. Department of Justice defines “perjury” as such: “The elements of perjury are (1) that the declarant took an oath to testify truthfully, (2) that he willfully made a false statement contrary to that oath (3) that the declarant believed the statement to be untrue, and (4) that the statement related to a material fact.”
The court of public opinion clearly thinks that Tapper perjured with his quip about ratings.
And if an actual court agrees, Tapper could have far bigger issues than a billion-dollar lawsuit against his network.
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