Trump sues CNN for article about Russia election interference

Lawsuits pit a sitting president against three major media outlets covering his re-election bid

Donald Trump's top three media targets for attacks are the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN – and now he is suing all three.

After filing suits claiming the two major newspapers made false claims in articles, his re-election campaign has filed a suit against the cable network for a piece it says claimed "the campaign 'assessed the potential risks and benefits of again seeking Russia's help in 2020 and has decided to leave that option on the table," Jenna Ellis, senior legal adviser to the president's campaign, said in a Friday statement.

"Today the President's re-election campaign has filed suit against CNN for false statements, claiming that The statements were and are 100 percent false and defamatory," she said.

Last week, when asked about the Times piece, Mr Trump told a reporter he sued because it went beyond just an opinion.

Ms Ellis said the campaign late last month asked CNN to retract the article and apologise, contending the network refused.

The three lawsuits put a sitting US president against three of the country's largest media outlets at a time each one will be covering his re-election bid.