Dinesh D’Souza’s film “2000 Mules” will no longer be distributed by Salem Media after the publisher apologized. (Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images)
Shannon Finney/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
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Shannon Finney/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
The conservative media company behind the book and movie “2,000 Mules,” which accuses Democrats of a widespread conspiracy to steal the 2020 election and is supported by former president Donald Trump, has issued a statement. apologized and said it would stop distributing the film and remove both the film and book from its platform.
In a statement posted to their website, Salem Media Group, Inc. apologized specifically to Mark Andrews, a voter from Georgia who falsely described illegal voting at “2,000 Mules.”
Georgia Bureau of Investigation deleted Andrews of wrongdoing and discovered that he was legally voting for his family members. Andrews filed a defamation lawsuit against Salem as well as the group behind the film: right-wing commentator Dinesh D’Souza and the group True the Vote.
Although “2,000 mules” has been widely debunked by Law enforcement officials and mediainclude NPRthe film and book have garnered a wide following among those who support false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
According to Andrew’s lawsuit, the allegations in “2,000 Mules” led to violent threats against him and his family. “They are worried that they will once again be baselessly accused of election crimes and that those who believe in the ‘mule’ theory may recognize and seek revenge against them, and that they may may face physical harm,” alleged lawsuit.
According to court records in a related case, Salem settled the lawsuit brought by Andrews for an undisclosed “substantial” amount. In the statement about it website, Salem wrote, “We never intended that the publication of the film and book ‘2000 Mules’ would harm Mr. Andrews. We apologize that the inclusion of Mr. Andrews’ image in films, books and promotional materials has caused harm to Mr. Andrews and his family.”
Salem said it “relies on the representation given to us by Dinesh D’Souza and True the Vote.”
D’Souza and True the Vote did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment.
Andrews’ lawsuit was brought with the help of the nonprofit group Defending Democracy, which also works on the issue libel litigation brought by Georgia election officials against former New York Mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani.
An attorney for Protect Democracy declined to comment on Salem’s statement due to the ongoing case. It’s unclear what impact Salem’s apology will have on the lawsuit, which is currently in the discovery phase. Separately, Salem is are also suing its insurer for allegedly failing to cover costs arising from Andrews’ lawsuit.
This is not the first rift between the manufacturers and distributors of “2,000 Mules”.
When D’Souza published a book version of the film and made accusations of illegal “vote trading” against specific nonprofit groups, True the Vote issued a statement saying the group “did not entered this book and knew nothing of its contents.” .” True the Vote added, “This includes any allegations about the activities of any specific organization made in the book. We have made no such allegations.”
That version of the book is suddenly remembered after hitting store shelves and being replaced by a version that removed many important allegations.
