Former Republican Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin took the witness stand in a Manhattan federal courthouse for 20 minutes Wednesday in her defamation suit against The New York Times.
Palin’s testimony focused on her family life in Alaska and her career in Republican politics. Palin referred to herself as a single mother and grandmother who advises candidates about the “good, bad, and ugly” of politics, the Associated Press reported. She also told jurors she “holds down the fort” for her family. The former governor will return to court Thursday, and closing arguments are set for Friday, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Sarah Palin Suing New York Times For Defamation)
Palin sued The New York Times for damages in 2017. She accused the newspaper of damaging her career as a political commentator after the release of an editorial arguing that Palin and her political action committee contributed to an “atmosphere of violence” in the lead-up to a deadly mass shooting in Arizona in 2011, the Associated Press reported.
Sarah Palin testified in her defamation case against the New York Times after a former editor denied trying to blame the prominent Republican for a 2011 mass shooting in the 2017 editorial he oversaw https://t.co/va8dQRipsb pic.twitter.com/kmDwaAm8Qj
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 10, 2022
The 2017 editorial, “America’s Lethal Politics,” stated, “Before the shooting, Sarah Palin’s political action committee circulated a map of targeted electoral districts that put Ms. Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized cross hairs.” The New York Times issued a correction two days later, stating they incorrectly linked political rhetoric and the 2011 shooting.
Former New York Times editorial page editor James Bennet called his wording a “terrible mistake” during his testimony. “We are human. We do make mistakes,” Bennet said. Bennet went on to deny that he deliberately blamed Palin for the mass shooting.