A Democratic member of Congress is facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit from a prominent journalist who alleges she defamed him by calling him a sexual predator. Independent journalist Matt Taibbi—best known for his collaboration with Elon Musk on the Twitter Files—filed the suit, accusing Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) of falsely labeling him a “serial sexual harasser” in public statements.
In a recent House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing, Taibbi reported that Kamlager-Dove made these remarks. “There is not much a person like me can say to a member of Congress hiding behind the protections of the Speech and Debate clause of the Constitution,” Taibbi wrote. “One can however respond to a member arrogant enough to repeat those claims on social media. I’ve now done so, in the form of a $10 million libel lawsuit filed today in a New Jersey federal court.”
A committee hearing on the “Censorship-Industrial Complex” devolved into criticism of Taibbi when Kamlager-Dove criticized Republicans for inviting him as their “star witness” in order to distract “from the dumpster fire this administration is pursuing.” She remarked that Taibbi failed to respond to a request for his defense during the hearing. “After this, Republicans gave Matt Taibbi time to defend himself. It’s telling that he didn’t,” she said on X and Bluesky.
“These statements are demonstrably false and were made with actual malice—either with knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard for their truth,” Taibbi’s lawsuit reads. “The allegations echo prior false claims that have been the subject of legal action and multiple public corrections, of which Defendant was undoubtedly aware, evidencing her actual malice. Defendant’s decision to republish the statements on X and her website, outside her legislative duties, further demonstrates an intent to harm Plaintiff’s reputation in his home state and beyond, rather than a good-faith engagement in legislative debate.”
The Speech and Debate Clause protects members of Congress from legal action for statements made during official legislative proceedings. However, Matt Taibbi argues that this protection doesn’t extend to social media posts—a claim with legal precedent. In 2024, a Kansas City man sued Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-LA) and three Missouri Republicans, alleging they falsely accused him on social media of being an “illegal alien” involved in the Super Bowl parade shooting.
According to the National Review, Kamlager-Dove may have based her accusation on a satirical article Taibbi co-authored in the 1990s about nightlife in Russia. Several women interviewed for the piece have since stated that Taibbi never engaged in any form of sexual harassment.