Newsom sues Fox News over Trump phone call coverage

Governor Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for $787 million dollars. He’s accusing the network of defamation.

The lawsuit, filed in Delaware, accuses the Jesse Watters primetime show of editing a video to make it appear that Newsom lied about a phone call with President Donald Trump made during the immigration protests.

Newsom says he spoke with Trump on June 7, and insists they never discussed the National Guard being deployed.

On June 10, Trump told reporters he spoke with Newsom a day ago.

According to the lawsuit, Watters' show aired a clip omitting Trump’s own timeline, making it seem as if Newsom lied.

Newsom’s lawyers say the lawsuit is a direct challenge to what they call "malicious propaganda."

Fox News has released a statement that reads:

"Governor Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him. We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed."

Fox Corporation is the parent company of both Fox News and FOX 11.