UH OH: If BuzzFeed is correct, it appears CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski outed the wrong guy. “According to an analysis by BuzzFeed, the CNN–WWE GIF that President Donald Trump tweeted last week was not the same as the one created by HanAssholeSolo, which means CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski outed the wrong guy.” A guy who is not a public figure, so traditional libel rules — not the “actual malice” standard of New York Times v. Sullivan — apply.
This is the point where the Wilford Brimley character turns and says “Mr. Trump, I seem to want to ask if you set all this up. But if I do, you ain’t gonna tell me, are you?” No.
UPDATE: From the comments:
Then again, there is high liklihood that actual malice is behind the misidentification. The guy they wrongly fingered had a bunch of politically incorrect stuff on his account that CNN used to smear the guy as a bigot, thereby discrediting not just the video-maker but Trump for retweeting it. CNN clearly found this highly advantageous because they made a big stink about it. If that advantageousness is what prompted CNN to finger the wrong guy then that is actual malice of an extreme degree and they can be sued into oblivion.
Mr Wrong Guy should come out of his Chicken Little spider hole and realize that the sun is shining and he is holding a winning Super-Lotto ticket in his hand. Shameful for him to have apologized in the first place but perk up buddy, winning Super-Lotto tickets can cover a multitude of sins. Just think, if you had not said those politically incorrect things you would never have been maliciously targeted by CNN in the first place and would not now be holding that winning Super-Lotto ticket. Ummm, say it again: winning Super-Lotto ticket.
Well, I think it will withstand summary judgment, which gets you lots of discovery, which gets you — if CNN is smart, so uh oh — a big settlement. Will Hulk Hogan’s lawyer take the case? If I were Peter Thiel, I’d finance it. . . .