“Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic have filed multi-billion-dollar suits against Powell and others for defamation over her public claims about the company and its products, including her wild assertion that its software was part of a Venezuelan plot to steal elections and created masses of fake votes for Biden. In response, Powell’s attorneys have tried to argue that her statements were not meant to be factual – but rather legally protected statements of opinion.”

“In a March 22 motion to dismiss in the Dominion suit, Powell’s attorneys argued that ‘no reasonable person would conclude that the statements were truly statements of fact’ and that they are simply ‘her opinions and legal theories on a matter of utmost public concern.’ But a half-hour into the panel at the Dallas Patriot Roundup late last month, Powell appeared to veer away from the defense her attorneys had set out, according to multiple videos reviewed by The Daily Beast. ‘Threatening me is like waving a red flag in a bull’s face.’ Dominion’s suit against her should be dismissed, Powell continued, because ‘number one, they don’t have jurisdiction over us and number two, we meant what we said and we have the evidence to back it up.’ At the very least, the statement was a tactical error, defamation law experts say – one that could come back to haunt her in court. ‘That seems like an extremely damaging admission from Ms. Powell that eviscerates her main defense, which is based on a distortion of the opinion doctrine to begin with,’ Ted Boutrous Jr., an attorney at Gibson Dunn and an expert on defamation law, told The Daily Beast. ‘Dominion will have a field day with this statement in opposing her efforts to dismiss the case before trial, and before the jury if and when the case goes to trial'” – Daily Beast.