More bad news for Rai, for Report and for its host Sigfrido Ranucci. Two lawsuits are coming for them: one is worth millions, the other – which they will have to face overseas – is worse. They are being promoted by the Italian-American Paolo Zampolli, a friend of Donald Trump (he was the one who introduced him to Melania) and White House envoy for global partnerships. And this is because, Zampolli explains, «what has emerged in recent days in the Italian press confirms what I have always maintained: the attacks against me by Report have a political nature. They wanted to hit me to hit my president, Donald Trump, also through what I consider slanders aimed at the first lady Melania Trump.» Not only that. By resorting to «fake news against the current Meloni government,» accuses Zampolli, they have put at risk «the relations between Italy and the United States, the potential economic and financial opportunities between the two countries and the relationship I have with the American administration. Besides damaging the image of my native country, Italy».
Read more FdI, Cangiano sues Ranucci: «I won’t wait until November. And my children?» | Libero Quotidiano.it
The story originates from three episodes of Report broadcast between April and May. At the center of the investigation are the alleged links between Zampolli, Melania Trump and the criminal financier Jeffrey Epstein, told through the testimony of the ex-partner Amanda Ungaro collected in Brazil, an audio from 2017 in which Zampolli allegedly revealed a pact with Melania Trump, and the testimony of a second woman, Victoria Drake, who accuses him of sexual violence.
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«INJURED PARTY»
Accusations that Zampolli and his lawyer, Maurizio Miculan, have rejected point by point, warning that anyone who published or amplified the contents of the investigation would be included in a class action. The statements of Ungaro, the lawyer explained, have been denied by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and are part of a bitter dispute over the custody of the minor son; those of Drake are instead linked to an attempted extortion of 650,000 dollars, documented and already reported to the Rome prosecutor’s office, with the FBI and Interpol investigating in the United States and Brazil. Paolo Zampolli «is an injured party,» his lawyer warned. A warning that did not stop Report and Rai from airing the last two episodes.
The first lawsuit is before the Italian courts. The next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. «I have given clear instructions to my lawyer to close the mediation procedure scheduled for that day and to warn Rai to remove all videos and posts concerning the first lady and my family, immediately proceeding with the request for damages,» says Zampolli. How much? «Here in Italy the amount has already been decided: it is 5 million euros. I have instructed the lawyer to ask separately from each: 5 million from Rai, 5 million from Ranucci, 5 million from each of the people involved in this story».
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This, for Ranucci and the company, risks being the easy part. A similar request, Zampolli announces, «will be filed in the United States for the very serious reputational damages that I believe have been caused to me in the USA.» And there the figures are very different. The same scheme followed by the Cipriani group, in short, against Fatto Quotidiano and Report itself, for the «false, sensationalist and highly damaging» accusations made against Giuseppe Cipriani, partner of Nicole Minetti. In that case, the compensation claim amounts to 250 million dollars.
MELANIA’S BILLION
The amount that Zampolli will ask for has not yet been decided. «I have not yet discussed it with the American lawyer,» he explains to Libero, «but in the United States the numbers are very different from those of the Italian courts. You can add several zeros. When Melania Trump sues Hunter Biden for defamation, she also asks for a billion dollars. We are considering it.» How is it possible to reach such large amounts? «They used social media in various languages and created pandemonium. Paolo Zampolli,» says the person concerned, «was not an interesting character for Italians, he does not live in Italy. They made three episodes defaming me, achieving the record number of views. These should not be called “Report,” but “Record,” because they make records thanks to me.» If he is objected that this hits freedom of the press, Zampolli replies that «we believe in freedom of the press, at the highest levels. But this is not freedom of the press, this is an organization with precise political intentions. It’s not that Ranucci said something and got confused. He had a political objective.»
That’s not all. Zampolli assures he has more in hand.
«We have evidence that they paid the people interviewed. But since there is a lawsuit underway, the lawyer told me to talk about it as little as possible.» If this were confirmed, Ranucci would have to demonstrate the compatibility of the payments with Rai’s code of ethics.
