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Defamation Lawsuit Against The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is currently facing a defamation lawsuit tied to an article that allegedly made false accusations against a Thai-based aviation fuel broker and his company regarding their involvement with stablecoin issuer Tether and crypto exchange Bitfinex.
Christopher Harborne, the owner of AML Global Ltd., submitted the lawsuit in a Delaware state court on February 28, claiming baseless allegations of fraud, money laundering, and terrorism financing within the article.
Background of the Controversial Article
- The contentious article, “Crypto Companies Behind Tether Used Falsified Documents and Shell Companies to Get Bank Accounts,” was released in March 2023.
- It discussed Tether and Bitfinex’s challenges in maintaining global banking access, implying the use of shadowy intermediaries and shell companies for account reinstatement.
Contentious Section Removal
The original article featured paragraphs related to Harborne and AML, which were later removed amid the lawsuit mediation to avoid insinuating their involvement in misleading banking processes. An editor’s note acknowledged this change.
Response and Clarifications
In response, The Wall Street Journal confirmed the disputed section removal post the lawsuit claim and addressed inaccuracies present in Harborne’s allegations. Dow Jones, the parent company, is committed to defending its journalistic integrity.
Harborne emphasized his limited role as a minority shareholder at Bitfinex, resulting from a previous customer restitution plan following a 2016 exchange hack. He clarified his lack of operational engagement with Bitfinex or Tether.
WSJ’s Misreported Article on Crypto Financing
Misleading Claims by The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal published a contentious piece titled “Hamas Militants Behind Israel Attack Raised Millions in Crypto,” suggesting Hamas gathered over $130 million in cryptocurrency between August 2021 and June 2022.
Elliptic’s Contradictory Analysis
Contrary to WSJ’s assertions, blockchain analytics firm Elliptic dismissed claims of significant crypto donations to Hamas before its Israel attack. Elliptic’s blog post refuted the existence of substantial evidence supporting these allegations.