Who is Jacqui Heinrich? Dominion defamation lawsuit explained

Jacqui Heinrich, a Fox News reporter, was allegedly close to being fired after publicly fact-checking one of Donald Trump’s tweets in the wake of the 2020 voting fraud conspiracy, according to a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion.

On Thursday, February 17, 2023, the voting system corporation Dominion filed a lawsuit against Fox News alleging that the outlet defamed the company by knowingly spreading erroneous information to increase viewing figures.

The defamation lawsuit reportedly includes excerpts from communications between senior Fox News staff, as well as from its parent family the Murdochs, acknowledging that they did not believe Dominion had changed votes in the 2020 election, despite Fox providing a platform for guests to make false and defamatory statements.

Dominion sues Fox News for defamation

Dominion is suing Fox News and Fox Corporation for $1.6 billion. The voting systems company says that hosts at Fox News didn’t believe the allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election that were being aired on their programs by supporters of former president Donald Trump.

“Sidney Powell (one of Trump’s advisers) is lying,” about having evidence for election fraud, Tucker Carlson wrote in a message on 16 November 2020, according to an excerpt that remains under seal, according to a report from The Guardian.

Carlson also called Powell an “unguided missile,” in a text message and “dangerous as hell”. Fellow host Laura Ingraham told Carlson that Powell was “a complete nut.”

Tucker Carlson tried to fire Jacqui Heinrich for fact-checking Trump tweet

On November 12, 2020, Jacqui Heinrich posted a tweet that fact-checked a tweet from Donald Trump referring to Fox broadcasts. In the tweet, she said that there was no evidence of voter fraud from Dominion.

As per the Dominion defamation lawsuit, in a text exchange with Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson said in relation to the tweet: “Please get her fired.”

He added: “It needs to stop immediately, like tonight. It’s measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke.” Jacqui Heinrich had deleted her tweet by the next morning, The New York Times reports.