NEW YORK/WASHINGTON. U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company Dow Jones, News Corp, and two of its reporters, accusing them of defamation over a report linking him to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida, centers on a Wall Street Journal article that claims Trump sent Epstein a birthday greeting in 2003, which allegedly included a sexually suggestive drawing and a message referencing “secrets they shared.” Trump has denied the report, calling it false and malicious.
The defendants, including News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch, are accused of causing Trump “overwhelming financial and reputational harm” through what he describes as deliberate falsehoods.
“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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Friday morning.
Reuters has not independently verified the Journal’s report. Representatives of Dow Jones, News Corp, and Murdoch were not immediately available for comment.
The controversy surrounding Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, continues to fuel conspiracy theories, particularly among Trump’s base. These theories suggest that Epstein had damaging information on many powerful individuals and that the government covered up his connections.
In July, the U.S. Department of Justice released a memo stating there was no incriminating client list or evidence of blackmail by Epstein. Despite this, pressure has mounted on Trump and his allies to release more Epstein-related documents.
On Thursday, Trump said he had instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to ask the courts to release grand jury testimony related to Epstein. A day later, the U.S. government filed a motion in Manhattan federal court to unseal transcripts from grand jury proceedings involving Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of five federal charges related to Epstein’s abuse of underage girls.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the public’s ongoing interest in the case. “After all, Jeffrey Epstein is the most infamous pedophile in American history,” Blanche said in the filing. He called the transcripts “critical pieces of an important moment in our nation’s history,” adding that prosecutors would redact all victim-identifying information before any release.
The Wall Street Journal said the letter in question appeared in a leather-bound birthday book for Epstein, alongside messages from other prominent individuals. The letter, bearing Trump’s signature, reportedly featured several typed lines framed by a drawing of a naked woman and ended with the words: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Epstein’s alleged abuse of underage girls first became public in 2006, after the birthday book was reportedly created. He was arrested that same year and later accepted a controversial plea deal. He was arrested again in 2019 on sex-trafficking charges, but died in custody shortly after.
Trump, who had been photographed with Epstein in social settings during the 1990s and early 2000s, has publicly distanced himself from the financier. In 2002, he told New York Magazine, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
But in 2019, Trump told reporters that he had a falling out with Epstein long before his legal troubles. “I haven’t spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you,” he said.
While many of Trump’s supporters had hoped for the full release of case files held by federal agencies, the unsealing of grand jury transcripts, even if partially redacted, may be the most transparency the public receives for now.
Grand jury proceedings are typically secret under federal rules, but courts may allow disclosure under certain circumstances, such as when requested by a defendant or for judicial proceedings. Any released material will likely undergo redaction to protect the privacy and safety of individuals involved.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
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