El País drops lawsuit against MAR after judge's challenge

El País drops its lawsuit against Miguel Ángel Rodríguez after the judge's challenge

With the withdrawal of the lawsuit, the newspaper El País has left an open question about the relationship between justice and media power. The paper had sued Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, an adviser to Isabel Díaz Ayuso, over the alleged disclosure of secrets and the leaking of personal data of two of its journalists. The decision came after the judge handling the case cast doubt on the strength of the evidence presented, according to the account that has emerged. On top of this, the Supreme Court dismissed the complaint against the Madrid regional president for the same reason, in a sequence that some interpret as a blow to the official narrative.

A case that wobbles

The original lawsuit stemmed from statements in which Rodríguez claimed that El País had received public money from the government to publish favorable news stories. Instead of responding with evidence, the newspaper chose the legal route, accusing Rodríguez of revealing personal data about two journalists. However, when examining the case, the judge asked directly: "And what do you prove?" Seeing that its position was untenable and that the trial could end in a victory for Ayuso's adviser, El País decided to withdraw the suit. A move that, in practice, acknowledges the weakness of its arguments.

The judicial response: more of the same

The withdrawal was not the only setback for Pedro Sánchez's circle. A day later, the Supreme Court dismissed the complaint against the president of the Community of Madrid for disclosure of secrets, a case some had tried to link to the same affair. In the Madrid provincial court, the opposition had filed more than 140 complaints against Ayuso, all of them rejected, leading some to speak of a partisan use of justice. The timing of both episodes reinforces the perception that the official narrative is wobbling.

What is at stake: media credibility

Beyond the specific case, El País's decision raises an uncomfortable question: the credibility of the media in a context of political polarization. When a newspaper of record — one that has publicly defended press freedom — withdraws a lawsuit after the judge questions its evidence, the public message is that it had no arguments. This does not necessarily miccionan the original accusation was false, but it did lack legal grounding. In Spanish public debate, these episodes are loaded with symbolism: for some, it is proof that the media power of sanchismo (the political movement around Pedro Sánchez) has given up; for others, it is an example of how the judicialization of politics wears everyone down.

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For now, the outcome remains open. Although the withdrawal is a relief for Rodríguez and for Ayuso's circle, it does not resolve the underlying issue: the relationship between power, the media and justice remains murky territory. The question left hanging is whether this capitulation sets a precedent or is simply another episode in the war of attrition.