CNN ‘Caused Women to be Killed or Beaten’ by Taliban Terrorists, Ex-US Major General Claims… as Billion-Dollar Jake Tapper Defamation Battle Takes Dramatic Twist
Tapper explained to his audience how CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt discovered '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.'
Aug. 9 2024, Published 1:45 a.m. ET
The so-called most trusted name in news isn’t all that trustworthy after all.
CNN’s controversial report on a private security contractor’s work to rescue innocent women in Afghanistan — a broadcast which is now at the center of a billion-dollar defamation battle — resulted in more people being killed or beaten at the hands of the ruthless Taliban regime, a retired United States major general has sensationally claimed.
James V. Young, Jr., a bronze star medal winner who led battalions in Iraq, unloaded on CNN to a Florida judge over the network’s November 2021 report on Zachary Young, a retired Navy veteran, whom it accused of being part of an illegal and black-market operation to evacuate people after the United States botched withdrawal.
MG Young was blunt in his assessment and said CNN’s broadcast was "incendiary" and "potentially (caused) cost at-risk individuals" who were "in real time danger of being killed or beaten" a "chance to escape."
"It eliminated Mr. Young from potential evacuation work, and there was one less qualified person now able to help," said MG Young, who served as the head of joint command during combat operations in Iraq, in a report submitted to the court and obtained by RadarOnline.com.
Tapper explained to his audience how CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt discovered '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.'
MG Young said the report on Jake Tapper’s The Lead with Jake Tapper "likely resulted in fewer people being evacuated."
"It is impossible to gauge the exact impact, but it is only logical that it had some effect," he added in a 14-page expert witness analysis prepared for Young, who is no relation to the major general, as part of his quest to hold CNN to account for its broadcast of what he claims was a defamatory report.
"In my opinion, the CNN story in question implied Mr. Young was charging Afghans to leave the country."
CNN, which bills itself as "the most trusted name in news" on its website, is attempting to wriggle out of the explosive and at times bruising and embarrassing courtroom fight — a case that has captivated media watchers for the past few months.
Young has alleged that the network smeared him with claims he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan, using the terms "black market," "exploit" and "exorbitant" to paint him as a bad actor who preyed upon desperate people.
Young's lawyers called CNN's latest maneuver a 'masterclass in absurdity and desperation'.
But as RadarOnline.com exclusively reported, in a recent and mind-boggling court motion, the network asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit because, it claimed, the security consultant and his company, Nemex Enterprises Inc., violated Taliban rule when evacuating the more than 20 women.
"This entire defamation case centers on Young’s accusation that CNN implied he engaged in illegal conduct when he arranged, for a substantial fee, to have women smuggled out of Afghanistan," said CNN’s lead counsel Deanna K. Shullman, noting Young's actions were illegal because the Taliban had implemented Sharia law in Afghanistan at the time.
"[D]iscovery has indicated that those activities he orchestrated and funded, which involved moving women out of Afghanistan, almost certainly were illegal under Taliban rule," she added.
Marquardt followed up by saying 'desperate Afghans are being exploited' and need to pay 'exorbitant, often impossible amounts' to flee the country. He singled out Young and his company, using a picture of his face on screen, as an example.
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Like Young, after he retired from active service, the retired major general went on to work in a similar civilian field and coordinated rescue missions for refugees for Allied Airlift 21, a non-profit that was formed to help deserving individuals flee Taliban controlled Afghanistan.
The one-time top commander rubbished ratings-staved CNN’s claim that Young was a war-profiteer, saying the story presented by Alex Marquart, CNN’s chief national security correspondent, “implied" the fees charged by Young "were extraordinary" when they were not.
He said the news giant failed to grasp the consequences of President Joe Biden’s decision to end the U.S. presence in Afghanistan which he said, "began an extraordinarily trying time in Afghanistan."
MG Young also claimed Young’s work was also dangerous because his "clients paid him to, predominantly, move women, who were often the most at risk and the most difficult to move, due to the way the Taliban imposed rules on females."
They had "fewer options for evacuation," he said.
Correspondent Alex Marquardt, who presented the story with Jake Tapper, allegedly referred to military veteran as 'f***ing Young' and said 'it’s your funeral bucko' in secret correspondence exposed as part of the case.
"It is difficult to describe the chaos and desperation of the situation in the late summer and early fall of 2021.
"While many people have seen the images of the scenes at the Kabul Airport, case managers and those dealing with individual Afghans and others, were frequently in direct communication with people in real time danger of being killed or beaten."
The major general added: "The use of the term 'black market' was highly incendiary and likely toxic for future work Mr. Young could obtain with evacuations or in the highly specialized intelligence field.
"Evidence of this can be found in the various messages that Mr. Young received following the story, and how people reacted to it.
"In my opinion, the fees charged were reasonable. Major sophisticated corporations paid them. Mr. Young’s work involved highly coordinated 24/7 work using a specialized network, extraordinarily difficult operations in near impossible conditions.
"There is no reasonable market comparison for this type of life-saving work that I am aware of and so statements that his fees were excessive are based on speculation."
CNN also begged a judge to block a military vet's bid to depose Jake Tapper in the billion dollar defamation war against the network.
As this masthead previously revealed, the ugly courtroom confrontation exposed a secret trove of expletive-laden communication which included an admission the story about Young was "full of holes like Swiss cheese" and "not ready for primetime".
CNN hopes the judge will enter a summary judgement ruling in its favor and dismiss the case because "with the benefit of full discovery, it is clear that Young cannot prevail on his claims."
If successful, it would end months of embarrassing headlines about the case for the controversy prone network, including Marquart’s admission he had "no evidence" to support linking Young to the black market trade of refugees, alleged destruction of evidence, and pleas to shield Tapper from sitting a deposition.
Young, for his part, has vowed to take the dispute all the way to trial.