US President Donald Trump has filed a federal defamation lawsuit against Dow Jones, News Corp NWSA.O, Rupert Murdoch, The Wall Street Journal, and two of its reporters over a story that claimed he sent Jeffrey Epstein a “bawdy” birthday letter in 2003, featuring a sketch of a naked woman and his signature positioned to mimic pubic hair.
The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of Florida federal court in Miami, came days after the Wall Street Journal published claims that Trump had sent Epstein a birthday letter in 2003.
According to the report, the greeting, allegedly part of a birthday album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, included a sketch of a naked woman with Trump’s signature positioned in a sexually explicit manner, along with a note referencing “wonderful secrets.”
Trump has strongly denied the story, calling the letter a fabrication. “The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein,” he posted on Truth Social. “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”
In another post, Trump wrote: “I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third-rate newspaper.”
He also said Murdoch had promised to look into the matter. “Mr Murdoch stated that he would take care of it, but obviously did not have the power to do so,” Trump claimed. “Instead they are going with a false, malicious, defamatory story anyway.”
Trump’s legal filing follows through on earlier threats to sue after the report surfaced. “I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!” he wrote.
As of now, a copy of the formal complaint has not been made publicly available. Requests for comment have been made to Dow Jones and the White House.
– Ends
Tune In