By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews
One week before Maryland’s 2026 primary election, Montgomery County Executive candidate Mithun Banerjee sent MDBayNews a legal notice threatening a lawsuit over a May 6 story that documented his posting of a fabricated campaign finance screenshot.
The notice, sent June 17 to editor@mdbaynews.com, accused MDBayNews of false reporting, election interference, and copyright violation. Banerjee demanded a correction by 9 p.m. that evening.
“Please consider this as a Lawful Legal Notice against you for posting False Stories to hurt my Campaign & involved in Election Interferences,” Banerjee wrote. “I will file a Lawsuit against you & your self proclaimed media if you don’t correct it by 9pm EST on June 17th, 2026.”
Banerjee also instructed MDBayNews not to respond, writing that any reply “will be considered as Violation of Cease & Desist Notice & also consider as Harassment & you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the Laws.” MDBayNews has honored that instruction and has not contacted Banerjee or his campaign for comment.
No correction has been issued. The original reporting stands.
The May 6 story documented that Banerjee had publicly accused opponent Andrew Friedson of paying nearly $19,000 to a journalist to write negative stories about him — basing the accusation on a screenshot that contained a critical typo in the committee name. The Maryland State Board of Elections campaign finance portal shows no such payment exists in the public record.
Banerjee is one of five candidates in today’s Democratic primary for Montgomery County Executive.
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