Trump Threatens $5B Lawsuit Over Crime Report, Think Tank Refuses

President Donald Trump is threatening to sue the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based think tank, for $5 billion in a defamation lawsuit unless it retracts a July report that concluded his National Guard deployments to several U.S. cities did not reduce violent crime. The organization has rejected the demand, calling the threat a transparent attempt to silence research that contradicts the administration's claims.

The dispute centers on a report published on July 13 by the Center for American Progress. The analysis examined crime data in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Memphis before and during the National Guard deployments. Researchers found no measurable effect of the deployments on trends for homicide, violent crime, or gun violence, which they noted were already declining before the troops were sent in. The report argued the administration was falsely taking credit for a broader crime reduction that was already underway.

In a letter sent on Monday, Trump's attorney, Alejandro Brito, accused the think tank of making "false, malicious, and defamatory statements" and set a deadline of 5 p.m. Friday for a retraction, an apology, and financial compensation. Brito...