Already embroiled in a legal tussle with Tim Ball, Michael Mann has now taken it upon himself to threaten the National Review with a libel suit. Much of the Review article was a direct quote of the CEI piece which considered whether Penn State's willingness to cover up the Sandusky child abuse scandal meant that it might also have covered up wrongdoing by Mann. Although the point made by the CEI piece was a serious one, the article's fairly unsubtle linking of Mann with Sandusky has led to inevitable outrage among Mann's supporters. However, in fact the libel threat appears to be based on another part of the Steyn's article entirely.
Michael Mann was the man behind the fraudulent climate-change “hockey-stick” graph, the very ringmaster of the tree-ring circus.
If it ever comes to court this would make for an interesting hearing, particularly since much of the case seems to revolve around Mann's exoneration by, among others, Oxburgh and Russell! However, as journalist Dan Fagin observed in response to the news, people sue and threaten to sue for all kinds of reasons, winning in court being just one of them. I personally doubt if this will come to anything.
[In related news, this Twitter exchange between Mann and Ryan Radia of CEI was interesting
RyanRadia .@MichaelEMann Why did you delete my comment on your FB page re: defamation of public figures and the actual malice standard?
@MichaelEMann You are with *CEI*, front group dedicated to dishonest smears & promotion of disinformation. That's why. Take it elsewhere.
RyanRadia .@MichaelEMann By your logic re: CEI, wouldn't I be justified in ignoring anything from Penn State academics because of the Freeh Report?]