Sarah Palin says she never had COVID symptoms after testing positive as New York Times defamation trial begins

NEW YORK — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she didn’t experience any COVID-19 symptoms while she had the virus as her libel trial against the New York Times began Thursday.

“All cleared to go, never had any kind of symptoms and feel great,” Palin told reporters as she entered Manhattan federal court Thursday morning.

Palin revealed she came down with the virus in late January, the day jury selection was set to begin, delaying her defamation trial for 10 days. The judge in the case noted that Palin was unvaccinated.

The Republican firebrand is suing The Times and former editorial board editor James Bennett, claiming that the newspaper defamed her in a piece with the headline “America’s Lethal Politics,” in which they linked ads from her political action committee to the 2011 shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.

The Times article incorrectly said that ads by Palin’s PAC put “Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized crosshairs” when it actually put Giffords’ electoral district in crosshairs, not the elected official herself.

“We’re not here to try to convince you that ... you have to agree with Sarah Palin’s policies,” Palin's attorney Shane Vogt during opening statements. “We’re here because the defendants published those statements that are false. Those horrific statements, accusing her of inciting a horrific crime.”

The Times, meanwhile, admitted the error but claimed it was made in good faith.

“There’s no doubt that The Times made a regrettable error. But during the trial you’re not going to see any credible evidence that Governor Palin was harmed by the editorial,” said New York Times lawyer David Axelrod.

Palin and Bennett, who resigned from The Times in 2020, looked on as jurors were picked and opening statements began.

Several potential jurors said they had read about the defamation case in the media and one asked to speak in private with the judge after indicating he might not be a fair juror if selected.

While in New York waiting for her trial to start after the 10-day delay, the former vice presidential nominee was spotted dining out on the Upper East Side numerous times just days after the positive diagnosis.

She touted her unvaccinated COVID-19 status as recently as December, before an audience in Arizona.

“Enough is enough,” Palin said at the time. “Especially when it comes to government telling us what we have to inject in our own bodies. No.

“I will not do it. I won’t do it and they better not touch my kids, either,” she said.

She wore a black mask in the courtroom Thursday.

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