type: timeline_event Chris Ruddy writes internal email stating "We have no evidence" of Smartmatic election rigging, but Newsmax continues airing false claims 23 more times for ratings
On November 12, 2020, Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy sent an internal email acknowledging that the outlet had "no evidence" that voting technology company Smartmatic had manipulated the 2020 election — yet Newsmax continued to broadcast false claims about Smartmatic's role in alleged election fraud at least 23 more times following that admission. The internal communications became central evidence in Smartmatic's $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Newsmax, which proceeded toward trial in 2024.
Court documents revealed that Newsmax executives and hosts privately expressed doubt about election fraud claims while publicly amplifying them for ratings and to avoid losing viewers to competitors like OAN who were pushing even more extreme narratives. Ruddy privately called Trump attorney Sidney Powell "crazy" while Newsmax promoted her unfounded claims on air. The gap between private skepticism and public broadcasting demonstrated what critics characterized as deliberate, commercially motivated deception of viewers.
In September 2024, Newsmax settled the Smartmatic lawsuit for an undisclosed sum, with some reports estimating the settlement at around $40 million — far less than the initial demand but still a substantial financial consequence for broadcasting knowingly false claims. The case, along with Dominion Voting Systems' $787.5 million settlement with Fox News in 2023, established a legal precedent for holding media organizations accountable when they broadcast election lies they privately doubted, doing so for commercial rather than journalistic reasons.