Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are suing The Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump conservatives who will turn on us as soon as Trump is out of office, for putting up two billboards in New York City — a city in a state that Trump has absolutely no chance of winning anyway — about how they are both very "I Really Don't Care Do U?" about New Yorkers and Americans in general dying of COVID-19.

One one billboard, Ivanka smiles while presenting, Vanna White style, COVID-19 death tallies from both New York and the country at large. Another features a smiling picture of Jared saying "[New Yorkers ] are going to suffer and that's their problem" above a pile of body bags.

Lawyers for the couple sent out a letter saying that the billboards misrepresented them and that they were suing them for libel or whatever.

They wrote:

Dear Lincoln Project Persons:

We represent Mr. Jared Kushner and Ms. Ivanka Trump. I am writing concerning the false, malicious and defamatory ads the Lincoln Project is displaying on billboards in Times Square. Those ads show Ms. Trump smiling and gesturing towards a death count of Americans and New Yorkers, and attribute to Mr. Kushner the statement that "[New Yorkers] are going to suffer and that's their problem" (alteration in original) with body bags underneath.

Of course, Mr. Kushner never made any such statement, Ms. Trump never made any such gesture and the Lincoln Project's representations that they did are an outrageous and shameful libel. If these billboard ads are not immediately removed, we will sue you for what will doubtless be enormous compensatory and punitive damages.

Huh. Super weird how Mr. Kushner is not suing Vanity Fair for having printed an article with someone quoting him as saying that. Probably because then that person would likely come out of the woodwork and things could get awkward.

According to another attendee, Kushner then began to rail against the governor: "Cuomo didn't pound the phones hard enough to get PPE for his state…. His people are going to suffer and that's their problem."

As for Ivanka's pose? That's pretty much covered under your standard free speech laws. Obviously she never posed like that, with those numbers, because death tolls rarely just hang in the air like that for people to pose next to. It's obviously supposed to be a statement about her general callousness. Duh.

The Lincoln Project has since responded by saying that they will not be taking down the billboards because of how Jared and Ivanka are garbage people.

The level of indignant outrage Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have shown towards The Lincoln Project for exposing their indifference for the more than 223,000 people who have lost their lives due to their reckless mismanagement of COVID-19 is comical. While we truly enjoy living rent free in their heads, their empty threats will not be taken ay more seriously than we take Ivanka and Jared.

It is unsurprising that an administration that has never had any regard or understanding of our Constitution would try to trample on our first amendment rights, but we fully intend on making this civics lesson as painful as possible. Jared and Ivanka have always been entitled, out-of-touch bullies who have never given the slightest indication they have any regard for the American people. We plan on showing them the same level of respect.
The billboards will stay up. We consider it important that in Times Square, the crossroads of the world, people are continuously reminded of the cruelty, audacity and staggering lack of empathy the Trumps and the Kushners have displayed towards the American people.

The Lincoln Project people, of course, are not our friends. Sure, they're useful for now in a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" sort of way. They are good at providing material for certain sites that really love writing those "Conservative Writer/Strategist Goes Off On Trump!" articles that I guess certain people still find immensely satisfying.

Plus they're willing to do and say things that many Democrats worry will make them look "unstatesmanlike." So they'll go for the jugular while Dems go high, Dianne Feinstein gets her Lindsey Graham hugs on and someone else over-romanticizes the relationship between Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neil in a way that bears absolutely no relationship to reality. But do not be deceived that, once Trump loses and they secure power in their party again, that they will not be doing practically everything Trump is doing (and probably worse), just more politely. Because they will.

But, you know, enjoy it while it lasts.

[New York Times]

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