Speaker 1 (00:00):
… proud counsel for Dominion Voting Systems. The truth matters. Lies have consequences. Over two years ago, a torrent of lies swept Dominion and election officials across America into an alternative universe of conspiracy theories, causing grievous harm to Dominion and the country. Today’s settlement of $787,500,000 represents vindication and accountability. Lies have consequences. The truth does not know red or blue.
(00:52)
People across the political spectrum can and should disagree on issues, even of the most profound importance. But for our democracy to endure for another 250 years and hopefully much longer, we must share a commitment to facts. Misinformation will not go away, it may only get worse. This litigation cannot solve all problems. All of us remain ever-vigilant to find common factual ground. Today represents a ringing endorsement for truth and for democracy. And with that, I’d like to introduce the CEO of Dominion Voting Systems, John Poulos.
Staff (01:54):
[inaudible 00:01:59]
John Poulos (02:02):
Thank you. Fox and Dominion have reached an historic settlement. Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees, and the customers that we serve. Nothing can ever make up for that. Throughout this process, we have sought accountability and believe the evidence brought to light through this case underscores the consequences of spreading lies. Truthful reporting in the media is essential to our democracy. Dominion, our employees, our people, our partners, are grateful to the court for allowing us the process for the truth to come out.
(02:46)
I cannot thank the election officials that we serve enough. Without them, there is no democracy, and the work they tirelessly do to that end and they deserve much better. We are grateful for all support we have received, grateful to our legal team, and want to acknowledge Staple Street Capital who have been unconditional in their support of Dominion and our customers. I want to introduce Hootan Yaghoobzadeh, principal and founder of Staple Street Capital.
Press (03:14):
Sir, can we just ask, should Rupert Murdoch apologize to you personally?
Hootan Yaghoobzadeh (03:25):
Hi. I’m a co-founder of Staple Street Capital, which is the investment firm that owns Dominion Voting Systems in partnership with John Poulos and the rest of the management team. It’s not every day that an investment fund finds itself at the center of this type of dispute. For us, this case has always been about exposing the truth and holding those who knowingly spread lies accountable. We are proud to have played whatever part we could in helping Dominion achieve these important goals.
(04:07)
I would also like to thank all the Dominion employees who have been through so much and stuck with the company through all this. We’re all very proud of them. I also want to thank our attorneys at both Susman Godfrey and Clare Locke for all their hard work. Without their efforts and resolve, the truth that has been exposed over the course of the last several months may have never seen the light of day. Thank you. With that, I’d like to hand it over to Stephen Shackelford.
Staff (04:44):
[inaudible 00:04:48]
Stephen Shackelford (04:48):
Hi, Stephen Shackelford with Susman Godfrey. I am so proud to be here today representing Dominion. It’s a great day for the company, although a bittersweet day for the company. As I was preparing today to give the opening that I never got to give, I was reminded of the hell that the Dominion employees went through and continue to go through to this day. Money is accountability and we got that today from Fox, but we’re not done yet. We’ve got some other people who have some accountability coming towards them and I’m very proud of the team from Susman Godfrey that has worked tirelessly for this case. And we’ll move right on to the next one. Thank you.
Press (05:35):
[inaudible 00:05:31]
(05:35)
Is there anything else else in this settlement besides money?
Davida Brook (05:39):
Davida Brook, Susman Godfrey. One last thank you, which is really to all of you for being with us on this journey. We appreciate what you’ve done to help us and to help expose what we were able to discover over the course of this process. And so thank you, and we’ll see you at the next one.
Press (06:03):
[inaudible 00:06:01]
(06:03)
Any retractions that you expect an apology from?