Jordan Peterson says he is considering legal action after Trudeau accused him of taking Russian money

‘I don’t think it’s reasonable for the prime minister of the country to basically label me a traitor,’ said Peterson

Peterson told the National Post he has never taken Russian money, “not ever in the past and not now.”

It’s a very serious accusation

Jordan Peterson

“It’s a very serious accusation,” said Peterson, in a Thursday interview with the Post. “You should have done your bloody homework and if you’re going to make accusations, you should have at least got them right. I don’t think it’s reasonable for the prime minister of the country to basically label me a traitor and I don’t find it amusing.”

Peterson said he is looking into a defamation lawsuit against the prime minister, but said these lawsuits are often a “losing game,” even if he has a reasonable chance of winning it.

“I know what lawsuits are like and they’re a pain, and I’m not interested in being burdened down with that sort of pain, practically speaking. But by the same token, how about you don’t defame me when you’re the prime minister, especially stupidly,” said Peterson.

“I’ve been talking to my family about (whether) I have a moral obligation to go after him for defamation. He’s not like my neighbour, he’s the prime minister,” he said.

The prime minister’s office declined to comment on Friday.

Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears as a witness at the Foreign Interference Commission in Ottawa, on Wednesday.Photo by Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

“How I got dragged into this, I don’t know, because I haven’t been implicated in that even peripherally, but I don’t think Trudeau is informed enough to understand what the hell’s going on, period, but certainly not in the broader social media space,” said Peterson.

Peterson said it was especially galling to be accused of taking Russian money, because he has been sounding the alarm about foreign interference in the North American political discourse.

“I’m just not involved in this scandalous issue with Russia at all, not a bit. It’s worse than that, because I’ve been informing myself as to foreign media manipulation, in detail,” said Peterson. “So, it’s one thing to go after an enemy, let’s say, if you’re going to cast idiot aspersions, but it’s really not very bright to do it to someone who’s actually working to solve the bloody problem that you’re commenting on.”

Poilievre responded on Wednesday by accusing Trudeau of “lying” and demanded the prime minister release the unreleased names of parliamentarians alleged by a review committee to have wittingly or unwittingly acted on behalf of a foreign country.

National Post
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