Trump is suing Watergate journalist Bob Woodward and publisher Simon and Schuster for $50M for selling audiobook recordings of his interviews
- Trump filed a lawsuit in Florida, claiming 19 interviews were for the book’s “single purpose.”
- Woodward used material for Rage and then sold The Trump Tapes audio book
- His new attorney did voiceover; filed a lawsuit in Florida and took Reagan to the judge
Former President Donald Trump is suing longtime journalist Bob Woodward for publishing his Trump Tapes audio book — claiming he owns copyrights and demanding that Woodward and Simon & Shuster pay over $49 million in damages.
Trump, who can be heard on the tapes calling Woodward a “great historian” and “the great Bob Woodward” in their recorded conversations, is nonetheless outraged by Woodward’s audio release.
He had previously described Woodward as “very disreputable” and threatened a lawsuit. He finally did so on Monday in Florida, drawing a Pensacola judge who fights terminal prostate cancer and who once issued a ruling that struck down Obamacare.
His new lawyer was born in the UK and is licensed to practice law in Florida and New York, as well as to practice law in the UK – and as he revealed to he has spoken as a spokesman for Wendy’s, Panera Bread , and other clients in a variety of accents.
Trump attended 19 interviews with Watergate journalist Bob Woodward. He is suing for $49 million in damages after the release of The Trump Tapes
Trump’s attorneys claim the former president spoke to Woodward “solely for a book” during his tenure in repeated interviews — which Woodward recorded.
“This case focuses on Mr. Woodward’s systematic usurpation, manipulation and exploitation of President Trump’s audio data,” the lawsuit reads.
Trump had been conducting the interviews during the pandemic when Woodward was writing Rage, his follow-up to his 2018 book criticizing Trump, Fear. Trump attended 19 interviews with Woodward.
He has been accused of forum shopping in the past and using the courts to make political points. Days ago, he dropped a second lawsuit against New York AG Letitia James.
Trump filed a lawsuit in Florida after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago looking for classified material, pulled a judge he appointed who ruled in his favor and appointed a “special master” to sort through the material. An appeals court later overturned the verdict.
His attorney, Robert Garson, denied any form of forum shopping. “He lives in Florida,” Garson told .
He also said the suit was not intended to make a political statement. “I don’t bring suits to make headlines. I’m not that type,’ he said.
Garson, who has won awards for his voiceover work, has “a remarkably versatile voice, anchored in the British accent range,” and has worked with Scottish, Irish, and American accents. He says he has not repeated Trump before.
Trump himself is a former TV pitcher and once served McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King in the White House.
Woodward released The Trump Tapes after conducting several interviews with Trump
Attorney Robert Garson says he has not previously represented Trump
His lawsuit is based on the sale of 2 million copies at $24.99 each for $49 million in damages, Bloomberg reported, noting that all three judges on the U.S. District Court’s division of the Northern County of Florida, where Trump has filed, are GOP commissioners.
Trump dropped his $250 million lawsuit against James last week after a judge fined him $1 million for a lawsuit he described as a “political manifesto” detailing his grievances against those who opposed him.