Dominion CEO: Fox News ‘knew the truth’ about voter fraud claims

The head of voting systems company Dominion said Fox News knew allegations against the company being made by former president Trump and his associates following the 2020 election were untrue but decided to air them anyway.

“We told them. We told them in real time. Others told them. Government officials told them. Partisan government officials told ’em. People inside the Trump administration told them. Um, local election officials on both sides of the aisle told ’em. This is not a matter of not knowing the truth. They knew the truth,” said Dominion CEO John Poulos during an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes that aired Sunday evening.

Dominion is suing Fox and its parent company for $1.6 billion in a defamation case stemming from false statements Trump and his top allies made against the voting systems company on the networks’ airwaves in the days that followed the 2020 election.

A number of top Fox News hosts and staffers have reportedly been deposed by Dominion’s lawyers in recent months as the company looks to build its case against the cable news giant in what is widely seen as one of the most consequential defamation cases against a major media company in decades.

The New York Times reported this week Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott is soon expected to be deposed in the case.

Fox has moved to dismiss Dominion’s case on First Amendment grounds, arguing the allegations made by Trump and his allies were newsworthy and noting it issued on-air fact checks to the false claims about Dominion put forth by conservative attorney Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani and other close associates of Trump.

The network denied the allegations made by Poulos to 60 minutes.

“We are confident we will prevail as freedom of the press is foundational to our democracy and must be protected, in addition to the damages claims being outrageous, unsupported, and not rooted in sound financial analysis, serving as nothing more than a flagrant attempt to deter our journalists from doing their jobs,” Fox New said in a statement on Sunday evening.

In June, a Delaware Superior Court judge ruled the case against Fox could proceed.

In the days that followed the election, Powell, Giuliani and others took to Fox’s airwaves to falsely argue after the election that Dominion and other voting systems companies were engaged in fraud linked to voting machines and mail-in ballots.

During the 60 Minutes segment, Poulos showed corespondent Anderson Cooper how his company’s technology operates and denied the fraud allegations made by Trump and others.

“People have been put into danger,” Poulos told Cooper, “all because of lies.”

Poulos said just last week, the company’s office was locked down due to threats, while employees continue to break down in tears over the situation.

Cooper asked: “Do you think that you can show not only that they lied, but they knew that they were lying?”

” I– I don’t even think– I think that’s the easiest part,” Poulos responded.

UPDATED: 9:24 p.m.