A high-ranking campaign manager for Donald Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign has initiated a defamation lawsuit against The Daily Beast. The lawsuit claims that the news outlet fabricated assertions about the compensation he received from the campaign and associated political action committees, resulting in damage to his professional reputation.
Filed on Monday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Chis LaCivita’s lawsuit centers around a series of articles published by The Daily Beast in October 2024. These articles alleged that he had received up to $22 million from the campaign and its affiliated political action committees.
This lawsuit is part of a broader pattern of legal disputes between Trump, his associates, and media organizations. In recent years, Trump and his allies have increasingly resorted to litigation as a means to challenge journalistic reporting they deem hostile or inaccurate.
The court documents indicate that The Daily Beast published multiple articles in 2024 suggesting that LaCivita had received substantial payments from the campaign. One particular piece by investigative journalist Michael Isikoff was titled “Trump in Cash Crisis – As Campaign Chief’s $22m Pay Revealed.”
LaCivita alleges that this reporting generated a false impression that he prioritized personal gain over campaign success, thus harming his personal reputation. The lawsuit also clarifies that the multimillion-dollar figure cited represents campaign advertising expenses and not personal income.
Although The Daily Beast made corrections to its reporting following LaCivita’s demands, reducing the compensation figure to $19.2 million and clarifying that the funds went to LaCivita’s consulting firm, the lawsuit argues that these changes did not adequately rectify the misrepresentation.
The complaint seeks both compensatory and punitive damages, arguing that the reporting has damaged LaCivita’s professional reputation. In response, The Daily Beast has dismissed the lawsuit as “meritless” and a transparent attempt to intimidate independent journalism.
LaCivita, who now serves as the Republican National Committee’s Chief of Staff and co-manager of the Trump campaign, is seeking substantial damages to repair his professional standing, considering the considerable reach of the allegedly defamatory reporting.
This legal action adds to a growing trend of aggressive confrontations between Trump’s camp and the media, including a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS News and a $15 million settlement with ABC News over a different reporting dispute.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/25/daily-beast-trump-campaign-chief-chis-lacivita-lawsuit
