Chris LaCivita Drops Defamation Suit Against The Daily Beast — No Retraction, No Payout

Chris LaCivita, who co-managed Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign with Susie Wiles, has voluntarily dismissed his defamation lawsuit against The Daily Beast, filing the dismissal on a Friday night just before a federal holiday. The case ended without a retraction, apology or monetary settlement from the news outlet.

Background

The lawsuit targeted an October 2024 Daily Beast article by Michael Isikoff that reported millions of dollars flowed into LaCivita’s firm, Advancing Strategies LLC, while he was managing the campaign. Subsequent Beast reporting revised an initial figure of roughly $22 million to $19.2 million and noted some payments may have passed through the LLC to other vendors.

LaCivita was Trump's co-campaign manager in 2024 and is now a prolific lobbyist and campaign aide to other Republicans. / Andrew Harnik / AP

Legal Claims

LaCivita’s lead attorney, Mark Geragos, filed two counts of defamation and one count alleging a conspiracy to injure another in trade, business, or profession in federal court in Richmond, Virginia. The complaint asserted the reported sums were pass-through payments to vendors and "not the money which Mr. LaCivita personally received." It sought treble damages and argued that restoring LaCivita’s reputation could cost millions, though it did not specify an exact damages award.

LaCivita had signaled his intentions on social media, posting a profane message on X and saying he was "really looking forward to making my case in front of a jury."

News Organization’s Response and Court Posture

The Daily Beast called the suit "meritless," pledged to defend its reporting, and in March said it would "vigorously" protect the independent press. The site was represented by Kate Bolger of Davis Wright Tremaine and John McGavin of McGavin, Boyce, Bardot, Thorsen & Katz, P.C. Last November the outlet asked a federal judge to dismiss the case and issued subpoenas to dozens of third parties as part of its defense; those subpoenas will now be withdrawn. District Judge Henry E. Hudson had not ruled on the motion to dismiss when LaCivita agreed to drop the suit.

This was the profane way LaCivita told followers about his suit, which he ended on a Friday night before a federal holiday. / ChrisLaCivita/X

Context: Post-Election Media Litigation

The dismissal ends one of several post-election lawsuits filed by Trump allies against media organizations. Some outlets have paid large settlements in other cases — reports indicate ABC paid $15 million and CBS $16 million in separate matters — while others continue fighting high-stakes claims, such as The Wall Street Journal's ongoing dispute.

LaCivita’s Post-Campaign Work

Rather than entering government service, LaCivita has taken a string of advisory and consulting roles. Reporting by Semafor says he is advising Warner Bros. Discovery in its explorations of a potential deal with Netflix. The New York Times reported his firm received $1.6 million from the Albanian opposition for campaign consulting aimed at re-electing former president Sali Berisha; LaCivita reportedly worked with Paul Manafort on that effort.

This was LaCivita in Albania, where his LLC got $1.6 million from the party of a failed presidential candidate who he said would

Domestically, LaCivita has held or been reported to hold numerous roles: he was named to Coinbase’s advisory council in January 2025; serves as a senior advisor to the Elon Musk-funded PAC Building America’s Future; advises America250, which is organizing U.S. semiquincentennial events; was appointed a commissioner of the American Battle Monuments Commission; and consults for the Republican public affairs firm Michael Best Strategies.

He has also advised multiple Republican campaigns, including roles with Senator John Cornyn (Texas), Senator Lindsey Graham (South Carolina), former Congressman Mike Rogers (Michigan), Florida’s Ashley Moody, and Byron Donalds in his gubernatorial bid.

LaCivita (left) and Wiles (second left) co-managed Trump's campaign. / Brian Snyder/Reuters

Personal and Family Notes

LaCivita, an enlisted Marine veteran and Virginia Commonwealth University graduate, was a Pritzker Visiting Fellow at the University of Chicago. His family has also seen Washington appointments: his daughter Victoria serves as a White House regional communications director, and his son, Chris LaCivita Jr., a 2022 Virginia Tech graduate, is registered to lobby through the Republican firm Checkmate and advises groups including the American Conservation Coalition and Nature Is Non-Partisan.

What Comes Next

With the suit dismissed and no judge’s ruling on the motion to dismiss, the immediate litigation chapter is closed. The Daily Beast’s subpoenas will be withdrawn and, per reports, LaCivita did not receive an apology or payment as part of the dismissal. The episode highlights ongoing tensions between political figures and media outlets in the post-2024 landscape and underscores continuing scrutiny of campaign spending and outside consulting arrangements.