Trump taunts Murdoch as he files $15 billion lawsuit over Epstein story
Washington: US President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal, making good on his threat to sue over a story reporting that he signed a letter to Jeffrey Epstein for the disgraced financier’s 50th birthday.
The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Miami less than 24 hours after the story was published last week. The filing – which names Murdoch, News Corp, chief executive Robert Thomson and the two reporters as defendants – says Trump is seeking $US10 billion ($15.3 billion) in damages, punitive damages, court costs and other relief.
Donald Trump has filed defamation action against Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation over a Wall Street Journal story.Credit: Reuters/AP
“This historic legal action is being brought against the so-called authors of this defamation, the now fully disgraced WSJ, as well as its corporate owners and affiliates, with Rupert Murdoch and Robert Thomson (whatever his role is!) at the top of the list,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The Australian-born Thomson is the long-serving chief executive of News Corp, based in New York. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Dow Jones, the News Corp subsidiary that publishes the Journal, and once worked at The Sydney Morning Herald, among other papers.
On Thursday (Friday AEST), the Journal reported Trump was among several Epstein associates who contributed a letter to a leather-bound book for the financier’s 50th birthday in 2003, organised by Epstein’s friend Ghislaine Maxwell.
The letter, which took the form of a cryptic, imagined conversation between the two men, was reportedly typed within a drawing of a naked woman, with two small arcs depicting her breasts. The exchange concluded: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump denied writing the letter and claimed to have never drawn a picture in his life, though evidence quickly emerged disproving that claim. The Journal reported that Trump’s signature appeared below the woman’s waist, “mimicking pubic hair”.
The complaint filed in court alleged the defendants failed to attach the letter and drawing, failed to prove that Trump authored or signed such a letter, and failed to explain how the purported letter was obtained. In its story, the Journal did not claim to possess the documents, but said it had “reviewed” the letter.
“Defendants concocted this story to malign President Trump’s character and integrity and deceptively portray him in a false light,” Trump’s lawyers claimed in the complaint.
They also alleged the timing of the publication was malicious. Trump has been mired in controversy for two weeks regarding the administration’s refusal to release more documents related to the Epstein investigation.
Many of his core MAGA supporters are demanding the files be made public, alleging there is a “deep state” conspiracy to cover up Epstein’s high-profile acquaintances.
On Friday (Saturday AEST), the Trump administration asked a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the case amid pressure from Democrats and Republicans for more information to be made public.
“Transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this administration,” the Justice Department said in the filing, adding that “given the public interest” in the investigations into Epstein, the transcripts should be released.
It’s unclear if the courts will grant the administration’s request or whether the request will satisfy critics, including some of Trump’s own allies. Grand jury deliberations are typically kept secret. The judges could also take time to make a decision.
Legal warning
According to Trump’s lawsuit against Murdoch and the WSJ, the president’s counsel emailed the defendants on Tuesday, denying the veracity of the letter and warning them to desist from publication, and “none of the defendants responded to the email”.
Much of the 18-page complaint goes to substantiating the wide reach of the story, saying it “went viral on television, internet, social media and all other modes of communication”, including X.com, described as “the internet’s watering hole”.
On Truth Social, Trump cast the lawsuit as the latest in a line of legal actions he has taken to hold the media to account.
Jeffrey Epstein was to stand trial on sex trafficking charges.Credit: AP
“This lawsuit is filed not only on behalf of your favorite President, ME, but also in order to continue standing up for ALL Americans who will no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media,” he wrote.
“I hope Rupert and his ‘friends’ are looking forward to the many hours of depositions and testimonies they will have to provide in this case. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution in a 2008 plea deal, for which he served 13 months in a work-release program. He died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
Trump and Epstein were friends in the 1990s and mixed in similar New York finance circles. Trump has always maintained he knew nothing of Epstein’s crimes, and that their friendship soured at some point in the 2000s.
A Dow Jones spokesperson said: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
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