Jesse Ventura calls 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle a ‘liar’

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura “won $1.8 million in a defamation lawsuit last year against the estate of the late Chris Kyle,” the Dallas Morning News reports, but the former pro-wrestler still hasn’t gotten over the so-called American Sniper’s claim that he punched Ventura out in a bar for allegedly saying the Navy Seals “deserve to lose a few” in Iraq.

Ventura, himself a former SEAL, denied the whole incident. Kyle's publisher HarperCollins subsequently removed the part of American Sniper where the story appeared, and the scene doesn’t appear in Clint Eastwood’s blockbuster film adaptation of the book.

“A hero must be honorable, must have honor,” Ventura said, referring to Kyle. “And you can't have honor if you're a liar. There is no honor in lying.”

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The lawsuit against Kyle’s estate is in the midst of an appeal. It seems, however, that Ventura’s boycott is having little influence on moviegoers. American Sniper has grossed more than $200 million domestically and set new box office records for the month of January.