CIA-Trained Navy Veteran Details ‘very devastating’ Impact CNN Segment Had On His Life: ‘Labeled a criminal’; Navy Veteran Suing CNN For Defamation Breaks Down At Trial: ‘I’ve Just Been Completely Destroyed’; Navy Vet Warned CNN It Had False Info. CNN Aired It Anyway

CIA-trained Navy veteran details ‘very devastating’ impact CNN segment had on his life: ‘Labeled a criminal’:

U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young testified on Tuesday that the CNN segment at the heart of his defamation lawsuit against the network had “an immediate and very devastating” impact on his life.

Young alleges that CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan on the “black market” during the Biden administration’s military withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young believes CNN “destroyed his reputation and business” by branding him an illegal profiteer who exploited “desperate Afghans” during a November 11, 2021, segment that first aired on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”

The high-stakes trial, which started on Monday with jury selection, saw Young called as the first witness on Tuesday after both sides delivered opening statements. Young said “it’s hard to explain to someone outside my world how devastating” it was when “black market” was used to describe where he operates.

“You’re labeled a criminal all over the world,” Young said when questioned by his lead counsel, Vel Freedman.

Young testified he was interested in the national security of the United States and wanted to pursue a career after his time because the world is a “big place,” and the government can’t do everything to keep America safe, so he believes private contractors are vital.

“I’m not a mercenary and I don’t like the term,” Young said when explaining his work for Blackwater and other contractor roles following his service in the Navy.

14th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William S. Henry, who is presiding over the trial in Bay County, Florida, has already ruled that Young “did not act illegally or criminally” despite what the network reported on air. Judge Henry has also declared the court found Young “did not take money from Afghans.”

Tapper first teased the 2021 segment at the center of the suit by warning CNN viewers of “desperate Afghans still trying to escape the country being preyed on by folks demanding that they pay up big time to get out.”

Later in the show, Tapper reminded viewers that the story about “desperate Afghans” being “preyed upon” was up next.

Once the twice-promoted segment began, Tapper said CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt found “Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.”

Tapper tossed to Marquardt, who said “desperate Afghans are being exploited” and need to pay “exorbitant, often impossible amounts” to flee the country. —>READ MORE HERE

Navy Veteran Suing CNN For Defamation Breaks Down At Trial: ‘I’ve Just Been Completely Destroyed’:

U.S. Navy Veteran Zachary Young broke down in tears on the stand on Wednesday while testifying against CNN, explaining how a segment aired on the network in 2021 “wrecked” his life.

Young was asked about his career following the Nov. 11, 2021 airing of a segment on CNN that Young alleges falsely accused him of exploiting Afghans by offering evacuations from Afghanistan on a “black market” following the disastrous withdrawal. A court found Young “did not act illegally or criminally.” In his suit, Young alleges that the use of the term “black market” in the chyron “rendered Young permanently unemployable” because it implied Young was involved in illegal conduct. Young’s defense contracts expressly prohibited involvement in “black markets.”

Jurors were shown additional contracts on Wednesday between Young and other corporations that were slated to be renewed prior to the CNN’s airing of the segment.

“Have you had any work … since the CNN broadcast?” Young was asked during the hearing.

“No,” he testified, adding he has not made any money since the broadcast.

Young said that when he tried to offer evacuations following a crisis in Sudan, he received response on LinkedIn repeating the claims CNN aired about him. He went on to detail how the outlet’s alleged defamatory segment has affected his personal life. —>READ MORE HERE

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+++++Navy Vet Warned CNN It Had False Info. CNN Aired It Anyway+++++

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