Posted on 07/29/2010 12:33:22 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Via Ben Smith at Politico, the utterly predictable next step in the swamp that has become the Sherrod story has taken place:
Ousted Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod said Thursday she will sue a conservative blogger who posted an edited video of her making racially tinged remarks last week.
The edited video posted by Andrew Breitbart led Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to ask Sherrod to resign, a decision he reconsidered after seeing the entire video of her March speech to a local NAACP group. In the full speech, Sherrod spoke of racial reconciliation and lessons she learned after initially hesitating to help a white farmer save his home.
She said she doesn’t want an apology from Breitbart for posting the video that took her comments out of context, but told a crowd at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention that she would “definitely sue.”
Sue Breitbart for what, though? Defamation? Sherrod is a public official, which makes that kind of lawsuit darned near impossible. Breitbart used the clip to criticize the NAACP, not Sherrod directly, although she certainly came into the line of fire. People are allowed to criticize public officials in harsh and even unfair terms, especially when they make public remarks.
A court is not likely to look favorably on this for another reason — Sherrod’s public statements about Breitbart. She accused him of being pro-slavery, which is a ridiculous and demagogic attack. Even if a court somehow found that Breitbart acted with malice specifically towards Sherrod to a level that overcomes the right to criticize public officials and that he lied about Sherrod specifically in doing so, under those same terms Breitbart would have a countercase against Sherrod. Otherwise, Breitbart has become enough of a public figure that Sherrod’s statements about him would probably not be actionable, either.
This lawsuit will make a big splash and keep the story alive for a while, but its value is strictly limited to PR. I somehow doubt that the Obama administration will see that as beneficial to its own objectives, either, as they seem as anxious to bury the story as anyone involved.
Yep, she’z no stranger to litigation.
She’z tryin to hit one outta the park with a big ol payday.
Cranial rectal inversion, methinks.
I’m gonna sue Sherrod, as an agribusiness man of pale complection I view her and her husband’s rants as slander.
She doesn’t have a prayer.
So posting an unedited video of a public speech is against the law now?
Breitbart posted the full video he had in his possession to the best of my knowledge.
And...”discovery” would be such fun.
She will lose...he posted the entire video on the first day and can’t be blamed for her boss’ apparent ADD (since he acted before viewing the whole video)
I hope Breitbart sues for every penny sherrod has. She is guilty of slander and libel. He showed an actual clip of her—and the left does clips all the time with no fear of reprisal.
Enter the lawyers....the REAL power in the once proud Republic.
she would have to have character in order for it to have been defamed!
For possessing a tape that caused the president to act stupidly?
She doesn’t care if she has a prayer.
She’s gonna get millions of dollars of air time and become a martyr for the victimhood movement no matter how this goes.
If she wins, she gets money, bragging rights, a halo over her head.
If she loses, she gets exactly the same things, plus the chance to bash the “white-run judicial system in this corrupt nation.”
Yeah, he’s the one who fired her without doing an investigation.
Where is she now? The czarina of something?
Bring it on!
I guess ole Juornolist Ben doesn't know the difference between edit and excerpt.
She was for racism before she was against it anyway.
exactly. it’s not like she didn’t say what was on the tape, either!
I bet Brietbart is licking his chops at the prospect of taking her deposition. This is definitely a popcorn worthy event.
How about the NAACP? Didn’t they bring this puppy to the light first?
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