DOJ/Berenson Settlement...MedPage Today mention: Here's what's going on at AJI this week!
Written by:
Dear AJI Subscriber,
Last month, an unusual DOJ settlement went largely uncovered, with news of its $10 billion settlement with President Trump over the IRS's leak of his tax returns dominating headlines. In mid-May, the Justice Department settled a lawsuit with Alex Berenson, a former New York Times journalist turned prominent vaccine skeptic and Trump ally, for $150,000.
Berenson sued the Biden administration in 2023, claiming that it was responsible for Twitter suspending his account for posting COVID-19-related misinformation two years earlier during the height of the pandemic.
What's strange is that the settlement occurred after a federal court had already dismissed the case on standing grounds.
Berenson's settlement just the latest of a larger pattern where the Trump DOJ has settled politically aligned, Biden-Era lawsuits. In several instances, those settlements have funneled large sums of taxpayer money into the pockets of the president’s allies.
Read our latest on the settlement here.
Despite our small size, we continue to break new ground and lead national news cycles. Most recently, our report on the president's Cancer Panel Chair Harvey Risch co-authoring a paper promoting ivermectin as cancer treatment, was cited in a news roundup by Medpage Today!
This work takes resources to produce. Make a tax-deductible contribution to AJI today to keep it flowing!
Thank you!
Sincerely
Olivia Riggio
Deputy Director, AJI