US appeals court greenlights defamation suit against former Special Counsel Robert Mueller News
The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
US appeals court greenlights defamation suit against former Special Counsel Robert Mueller

A US appeals court ruled on Friday that Georgian-American businessman Giorgi Rtskhiladze can proceed with a defamation lawsuit against former Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller was appointed in 2017 to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential Election. A final report detailing the investigation’s findings was released to the public in 2019. Rtskhiladze claims that a footnote in Volume II of the report falsely implies that he obstructed access to “compromising tapes” involving former President Donald Trump. The note mentions a text message between Rtskhiladze and Trump attorney Michael Cohen where Rtskhiladze says he “stopped flow of some tapes from Russia.” Rtskhiladze later testified to investigators that the tapes in question were fake.

According to the court, Rtskhiladze adequately demonstrated that he suffered reputational injuries. A three-judge panel allowed the case to continue:

We agree with the district court that Rtskhiladze has standing to bring his damages claim for alleged injuries suffered before the Senate Report’s release. But unlike the district court, we conclude that Rtskhiladze also has standing to sue for damages for alleged harms after the Senate Report’s release.

The Special Counsel’s office officially ended its investigation in 2019. Rtskhiladze’s case against Mueller challenges the discovery of potential obstruction of justice by members of Trump’s inner circle.

Rtskhiladze published a book in 2020 detailing his experiences with the Special Counsel including his 2018 testimony before a federal grand jury. He denies the existence of any tapes and argues that he was “misquoted” in the report.

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