> I'm not sure if you can really even call this a "classification." Probably not, I'm mostly responding snarkily to how deeply conspiracy theories have embedde

> I'm not sure if you can really even call this a "classification." Probably not, I'm mostly responding snarkily to how deeply conspiracy theories have embedded themselves into the body politic. More important is the idea that a well formed[0] defamation lawsuit is something that requires public attention and redress. Attempting to call this defamation lawsuit something that is suppressing dissent smacks of a hamfisted attempt to make this lawsuit into something bigger than it actually is. Giuliani and his ideological cohort made a bunch of defamatory statements about a company, and predictably that company is suing for defamation. There's nothing terribly surprising or concerning about that. 0 - Defamation lawsuits can be used to suppress speech, of course. This is exactly why many states now have anti-SLAPP laws on the books. That however does not seem to be an issue in this case, as this lawsuit is at least well formed.