Trump-Biden debate moderator Jake Tapper at center of defamation lawsuit ahead of presidential face-off

While Donald Trump's numerous criminal cases will be on the minds of many as he takes the stage alongside Joe Biden for the CNN presidential debate on Thursday, he is not the only one who will be present at the debate currently at the center of legal cases. It has been revealed that Jake Tapper, who is set to moderate the event alongside Dana Bash, is at the center of a defamation lawsuit.

The CNN host has been accused by Nemex Enterprises of allegedly lying about the services the consulting company provides. The outlet, where Tapper has worked for over a decade, has defended him, holding the position that the language he used was "opinion or ambiguous."

As Just the News reports, the defamation and trade libel lawsuit was brought by the company and its owner, Zachary Young. Under his leadership, his crew helped evacuate Afghans following the Biden administration's botched withdrawal from the war-torn nation, but he has argued that Tapper portrayed them otherwise.

On November 11, 2021, Tapper highlighted a clip featuring reporter Alex Marquardt in which he discussed Afghans trying to flee the Taliban takeover via private operators such as Nemex. He introduced the segment by railing against those like Nemex charging money to evacuate Afghans. The coverage was republished across other CNN platforms and on social media.

Young alleged that Tapper "repeatedly accused him of operating in a 'black market' and mischaracterized his work as exploitative because he charged 'exorbitant' fees Afghan citizens could not pay." The suit contained internal communications from CNN in which employees expressed concern about how the story went out on air, as well as messages from Marquardt referring to Young as "f*cking Young" and warning, "it's your funeral, bucko."

The Florida Court of Appeals found earlier this month that there was "sufficient evidence of CNN's intentional misconduct or gross negligence" in its coverage of Nemex's activities in Afghanistan. It sided with Young in his motion to ask for punitive damages.

Media Research Center Vice President Dan Schneider questioned why Tapper was chosen to facilitate the upcoming debate, telling Just The News, "Trying to run cover for Biden's disastrous pullout from Afghanistan, he and his CNN show slimed a hero who saved the lives of those Biden put in jeopardy. Now CNN is facing a billion dollar defamation suit at the same time Tapper will be moderating the presidential debate featuring the politician he lied for. Unreal."