PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – US Navy veteran Zachary Young, prosecutor of the U.S high-stakes defamation lawsuit against CNN, ended his testimony in dramatic fashion Thursday when he revealed that he had successfully helped at least 22 women escape Afghanistan.
The information came as a surprise to anyone who relies on CNN for news, as Young claims CNN defamed him by suggesting he illegally profited from helping people flee Afghanistan on the “black market” during Biden administration military withdrawal from the country in 2021.
The CNN report at the heart of the lawsuit first aired on “The Lead with Jake Tapper” in November 2021. It contained claims that CNN found that “Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands for exorbitant fees, and with no guarantee of safety or success,” but Young’s lead attorney, Vel Freedman, ended his client’s marathon testimony with questions about what the report did not include.
NAVY VETERAN WARNS CNN REPORTER WILL ‘SEEK LEGAL DAMAGES’ IF ‘INCORRECT’ STORY IS PUBLISHED
U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young testified Thursday that he successfully helped at least 22 women escape Afghanistan. (Jessica Costescu)
“Did you and your team successfully evacuate the three women to Audible?” asked Freedman.
“That.” Young answered.
“Did you successfully evacuate four women and a baby for Bloomberg?” asked Freedman?
“Yes,” Young replied.
“Did you and your team rescue the three women for CivilFleet?” asked Freedman.
“Yes,” Young replied.
“Did you and your team evacuate the 12 women to HEROS?” asked Freedman.
U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young believes CNN “destroyed his reputation and business by branding him an illegal profiteer exploiting desperate Afghans” during CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” segment on November 11, 2021. (CNN/Screenshot)
“About 12, could have been 13. I’m just not sure,” Young said.
“Did CNN report the successful evacuation of 22 women and children?” asked Freedman.
“No, they left that out,” Young said.
“There are no more questions,” Freedman said at the end of three days of testimony.
Audible, Bloomberg, CivilFleet and Amazon-owned HEROS are among the companies known as “sponsors” that paid contractors like Young to help evacuate people from the region after the Taliban took control.
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Young believes CNN has “destroyed his reputation and his business” by labeling him an illegal profiteer exploiting “desperate Afghans.”
The trial continues on Friday and will be broadcast live Fox News Digital.
