Donald Trump has filed a 10 billion dollar lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal’s parent company Dow Jones, as well its owner, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, over claims that he wrote a “bawdy” note to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The US president claims the publication slandered him and violated libel laws.
The article published on WSJ claimed that that a birthday card signed by Trump was sent to Epstein in 2003, when Epstein turned 50.
Trump called it “false, malicious, defamatory, fake news ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is, The Wall Street Journal”.
Trump has had a tumultuous relationship with the newspaper for decades.
This comes after the US justice department asked a judge to unseal material related to Epstein, after the Trump administration dragged its feet on the Epstein case.
A Dow Jones spokesperson said: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
Apparently the letter, bearing Donald’s Trump’s name, “contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker”.
“Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person,” the paper reported.
“A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret”, Trump reportedly signed off.
Trump responded: These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”
Last week, the Department of Justice and FBI last week published a memo saying there was no “client list” and no “credible evidence” that Epstein “blackmailed prominent individuals”.
Americans didn’t buy it, and even Trump loyalists expressed disgust.
On Thursday, Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to release of documents related to Epstein’s secretive grand jury testimony.
In February, Pam Bondi said publicly on Fox News that the Epstein file was sitting on her desk.
