A top MSNBC host could be facing serious legal trouble after a federal court in Washington, D.C. ruled that a defamation lawsuit against legal analyst Andrew Weissmann could proceed. Weissmann faced accusations from Stefan Passantino, a former Trump White House lawyer, who claimed the MSNBC personality of defaming him on social media regarding the January 6 investigation.

The suit pointed out that, as a lawyer, Passantino relies on his reputation and good standing to make a living. Weissman was then accused Weissmann of publicly denigrating the lawyer, claiming he encouraged a client to lie in a testimony given to Congress. The lawsuit firmly denied these claims, maintaining they are baseless.

“Defendant Andrew Weissmann—a partisan former prosecutor and top deputy to Special Counsel Robert Mueller turned MSNBC “legal analyst”—has publicly impugned that reputation, claiming that Mr. Passantino coached his client, Cassidy Hutchinson, to lie in congressional testimony,” the lawsuit read. “This is an insidious lie. Mr. Passantino never coached Ms. Hutchinson to lie, nor did he attempt to shape her testimony in any way.”

“Ms. Hutchinson even testified, under penalty of law: “I want to make this clear to you: Stefan [Passantino] never told me to lie. . . . He told me not to lie.” Defendant was aware of this testimony, but still chose to smear. Mr. Passantino in advancement of his newfound career as a partisan political pundit,” the lawsuit continued.

As background, Hutchinson ditched Passantino and sought new legal representation, explaining in a memoir that she had been allegedly coached by Passantino to lie before Congress. However, Passantino has denied these claims, maintaining he follows ethical guidelines. Furthermore, he denounced the accusations from Weissmann stating they are false.