Tim Pool files defamation lawsuit against Kamala Harris campaign over misleading 'Kamala HQ' posts

Tim Pool has filed a lawsuit against the Kamala Harris campaign, coming after her campaign account on X claimed that Pool was calling for the death penalty against Democrats should Trump gain a second term in office. The clip they posted was out-of-context and in fact, Pool was saying the opposite of what they claimed.

"Trump operatives say their Project 2025 plan is to give Trump total, unchecked legal power so they can jail and execute those who don’t support Trump if he wins," Kamala Harris' campaign posted on X in late August, adding the claim that "They have since scrubbed this video from YouTube."

The defamation lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, stated that "The Harris Campaign did not hedge this statement or couch it as opinion. To the contrary, to any reasonable reader, the Harris Campaign was saying that Mr. Pool wants to suspend the Constitution, make President Trump dictator, and use state power to imprison and kill Mr. Pool and President Trump’s political opponents. 

"According to the Harris Campaign then, Mr. Pool’s 'plan' is to imitate one of the hallmarks of the most abhorrent, murderous regimes of the past and present."

The lawsuit stated that the Harris campaign had published what "was and is a lie," adding that Pool "has never advocated for the lawless, extrajudicial killing of his (or anyone else’s) political opponents, to include in the video clip the Harris Campaign incorporated into its X post."

"Both the clip and its context demonstrate Mr. Pool’s commitment to civil liberties, which is consistent with his past criticisms of drone strikes involving American citizens in the War on Terrorism. Shocked by the Harris Campaign’s malicious disregard for the truth, Mr. Pool almost immediately threatened legal action, but the post and the deception it creates remains to this day."

The lawsuit stated that the "reputational harm" caused by the Harris Campaign "will take millions of dollars to undo," and Pool has ramped up "his security efforts as a shield against those who bought the Harris Campaign’s lie and might seek to do him and those he cares about harm. A recent incident suggests one man might have already been set off by the Harris Campaign’s false statement."

"Virtually every aspect of this defamatory post is false," the lawsuit stated, adding that while Pool supports Trump’s 2024 run, he is not a "Trump operative" as the campaign has claimed, nor does Pool have any "Project 2025 plan," with Pool taking "exception to any number of items in Mandate for Leadership, including Project 2025’s call to 'enforce the death penalty where appropriate and applicable.'" Pool has repeatedly and consistently stated his opposition to the death penalty in all cases.

The lawsuit noted that the clip used by the Harris campaign in its post does not reference Project 2025 or executing anyone. "In the clip, he specifically advocated for investigations and trials before 'the whole world.'" The lawsuit also stated that the TimCast IRL feed for that evening "was cut after Mr. Pool’s guest commented about the death penalty being applied for treason, which raises issues under YouTube’s speech code," and not because it was "scrubbed."

The post from the Harris campaign "ultimately" accomplished what the campaign "set out to do," giving Pool’s opponents "an excuse to distance themselves from Mr. Pool," and political leaders, especially Democrats, "are now less likely to appear on Mr. Pool’s shows, despite his efforts to build bridges for discussion and debate."

"In this regard, Mr. Pool has put millions of dollars where his mouth is, purchasing high-impact advertising in his native Chicago and New York City’s Times Square to raise awareness of his show above the very streets on which he took on corporatism in an effort to reach many of the same people he once considered friends and allies. To counter the effects of the Harris Campaign’s disinformation, Mr. Pool will have to spend millions of dollars to win an audience with those who now falsely believe he wants a dictatorship that will imprison and execute his political opponents."

The lawsuit also stated that following the Harris campaign’s post, "a man showed up at a property owned by Mr. Pool. One of Mr. Pool’s employees reported  being assaulted by the man. Upon information and belief, the alleged assailant knew about the Harris Campaign’s post, which served as inspiration for the unexpected visit. Mr. Pool is now working to secure round-the-clock security for himself and others shaken by this event. These security measures will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars."

"Mr. Pool cannot stand idly by while the Harris Campaign’s lie continues to fester, inflaming the public while harming his reputation and cutting him off from those he wants to reach and persuade."

Pool is seeking damages and attorney’s fees and costs, as well as a retraction from the Harris campaign.

Complaint - Pool v. Harris by Hannah Nightingale on Scribd