NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is being sued by his publisher for contradicting his book\u2019s claim about the the 2020 election.
All Seasons Press alleges that sworn testimony by Meadows undermined \u201cThe Chief\u2019s Chief,\u201d in which he wrote that the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.
In a breach of contract lawsuit filed Friday in Florida, All Seasons cited media reports from last month alleging that Meadows knew Trump had lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
\u201cMeadows\u2019 reported statements to the Special Prosecutor and\/or his staff and his reported grand jury testimony squarely contradict the statements\u201d in \u201cThe Chief\u2019s Chief,\u201d according to the lawsuit, filed in Sarasota, Florida. A central theme of Meadows\u2019 book is that \u201cPresident Trump was the true winner of the 2020 Presidential Election and that election was \u2018stolen\u2019 and \u2018rigged\u2019 with the help from \u2018allies in the liberal media,\u2019\u201d the court papers read in part.
Meadows\u2019 attorney, George Terwilliger, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
All Seasons is alleging that Meadows damaged sales and the publisher\u2019s reputation. All Seasons, a conservative press founded in 2021, is seeking the return of Meadows\u2019 $350,000 advance and damages of more than $1 million.
\u201cThe Chief\u2019s Chief\u201d has sold around 23,000 copies, according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market. Most of those sales came in 2021, when the book came out. All Seasons says it sold approximately 60,000 copies out of a printing of 200,000.
Special counsel Jack Smith has been investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters trying to stop Congress from certifying Biden\u2019s victory. Last month, ABC News reported that Meadows had been granted immunity by Smith and had testified that voter fraud allegations were baseless and that he knew Trump hadn\u2019t won.
\u201cIf such media reports are accurate, Meadows testified under oath that his book contains known falsehoods,\u201d All Seasons alleged in its breach of contract suit.
The All Seasons case is unusual both because it\u2019s based on media reports, not direct knowledge of Meadows\u2019 testimony, and because it\u2019s based on alleged factual errors. Publishers rarely fact check manuscripts, relying instead on the authors to verify what they\u2019ve written, and are far more likely to object to a book because of plagiarism or the author\u2019s personal conduct.
Meadows has pleaded not guilty to charges in Georgia for trying to overturn the state\u2019s election results in 2020. In September, a judge denied his request to have the case moved to federal court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n