Samuel Case, FISM News
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) issued a cease and desist letter to ABC News on Tuesday, requesting that the company “retract the defamatory statements” made on “The View” about Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida.
At issue are comments made by co-host Joy Behar who suggested that a group of neo-Nazi protestors, organized outside the conference venue, were in some way associated with TPUSA.
“Neo-Nazis were out there in the front of the conference with anti-Semitic slurs and, you know, the Nazi swastika and a picture of a so-called Jewish person with exaggerated features, just like Goebbels did during the Third Reich. It’s the same thing, right out of that same playbook,” Behar said.
The program later read an on-air legal disclaimer that stated that “the conservative group Turning Point USA has condemned the group of neo-Nazis and said they have nothing to do with the organization.”
THREAD: Yesterday, @TheView & Whoopi Goldberg smeared and lied about TPUSA regarding an incident where supposed “nazis” showed up outside of the Student Action Summit. pic.twitter.com/9xonX9jC25
— Turning Point USA (@TPUSA) July 26, 2022
Immediately following this disclaimer, Behar asked why Florida Governor Ron DeSantis didn’t stop the neo-Nazi protesters and co-host Whoopi Goldberg claimed that TPUSA “let them in.”
Fox News reported that Governor DeSantis attended the conference the day before the protestors arrived, a fact that was never mentioned by Behar.
Goldberg was later forced to clarify that the neo-Nazis were “outside protestors,” and said her point “was more metaphorical,” saying that in her opinion Turning Point “embraced” the protestors. “I know they were not in the building, but they were in the mix of people at the thing,” Goldberg said.
“Turning Point 100% condemns those ideologies in the strongest terms. Since these individuals were located on public property, our security attempted to, but was not permitted to remove them,” TPUSA said in a statement.
“We have no idea who they are or why they were at the convention center. They had nothing to do with TPUSA, our event, or our students. Our students, after initially confronting them, ultimately took the mature route and vacated the space. Once that happened, these individuals left.”
The cease and desist “demands that ABC immediately cease and desist from further unlawfully defaming TPUSA,” retract the statements made on the show alleging a connection between TPUSA and the protestors, and “issue a public statement apologizing for and correcting” such statements.
“Should ABC decide not to comply with the demands above, TPUSA is prepared to promptly take all steps necessary to protect its rights, including pursuing all available legal remedies, seeking monetary and non-monetary damages, injunctive relief, and attorneys’ fees and costs,” the letter said.
ABC News has until July 27 to comply.