Leftist livestreamer Hasan Piker sued commentator Scott Jennings in federal court Tuesday, seeking more than $72 million in damages over allegations that Jennings falsely depicted him as advocating the lynching of Black Americans.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the lawsuit brings claims of defamation, defamation by implication and false light. Piker addressed the suit on his Twitch stream Tuesday, saying “Guess the fucking cat’s out of the bag, huh?”
“This is not just about Scott Jennings, although he certainly messed up,” Piker continued. “This is about truth in the media. I think for far too long we have allowed Republicans to get away with saying whatever they want.”
The complaint alleges Jennings, who is also a CNN contributor, aired a manipulated video of Piker and attributed fabricated statements to him during an August episode of “The Scott Jennings Show.” It also accuses Jennings of using the altered footage to attack Democrats.
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Jennings played the edited footage on his podcast during a segment criticizing Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s ties to Piker. He falsely portrayed Piker as advocating lynchings and suggested Black voters should consider supporting Republicans.
“Now El-Sayed’s best friend is out there calling for Black voters to be lynched,” Jennings said.
Jennings did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
Piker has played the role of campaigner and fundraiser this midterm cycle, primarily focused on mobilizing younger voters — and particularly young men — toward campaigns like El-Sayed’s and progressive tickets.
His growing presence on the far left has drawn immense ire from Republicans and some establishment Democrats, who have sought to impede the momentum of the democratic socialist agenda by unearthing statements Piker has made on his daily livestreams, notably referencing his 2019 comments that “America deserved 9/11.”
While Piker has since apologized for those statements and argued over their context, his rhetoric has nonetheless become a common line of questioning for candidates he supports.
El-Sayed has routinely drawn condemnation for his decision to appear on Piker’s stream ahead of his Michigan primary victory.
In response to weeks of media scrutiny, Piker told Semafor in August he was considering bringing defamation lawsuits against Democratic and Republican critics.
He reiterated those statements during his Monday livestream. Piker said the lawsuit against Jennings has already become a “very costly endeavor” and told his viewers he planned to launch a fundraiser to bankroll that suit and possibly lawsuits against others in the future.
“I don’t think you should be able to get away with lying like this, and if I don’t put a stop to it, they’re going to continue maliciously defaming others as they have done so this entire time,” he said.
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