US President Donald Trump sues Murdoch and WSJ over Epstein report
| Picture Credit score: AP
U.S. President Donald Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Avenue Journal on Friday (July 18, 2025) over the publication of a bombshell report on his friendship with the notorious alleged intercourse trafficker of underage ladies, Jeffrey Epstein.
The defamation lawsuit, filed in federal court docket in Miami, noticed Mr. Trump attempting to hit again at a scandal threatening to trigger severe political injury.
The 79-year-old Republican had vowed to sue “the ass off” Murdoch and his newspaper after it reported that in 2003 the then-real property magnate wrote a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein, illustrated with a unadorned girl and referring to their shared “secret.”
In one other bid to dampen outrage amongst his personal supporters about an alleged authorities cover-up of Epstein’s activities and 2019 death, Mr. Trump ordered his lawyer normal, Pam Bondi, to hunt the unsealing of grand jury testimony from the prosecution towards the disgraced financier.
In a submitting in New York, Ms. Bondi cited “in depth public curiosity” for the weird request to launch what is often secret testimony.
Epstein, a longtime buddy of Mr. Trump and a number of high-profile males, was discovered hanging lifeless in a New York jail cell whereas awaiting trial on costs that he sexually exploited dozens of underage ladies at his houses in New York and Florida.
The case sparked conspiracy theories, particularly amongst Mr. Trump’s far-right voters, about an alleged worldwide cabal of rich pedophiles. Epstein’s dying — declared a suicide — earlier than he might face trial supercharged the narrative.
When Mr. Trump returned to energy for a second time period this January, his supporters clamored for revelations about Epstein’s supposed checklist of shoppers. However Ms. Bondi issued an official memo in July declaring there was no such checklist.
The discontent in Mr. Trump’s “Make America Nice Once more” base poses a uncommon problem to the Republican’s management of the political narrative in the US.
It remained unclear whether or not a court docket would authorize the unsealing of the grand jury testimony.
However even when such materials have been made public, it was additionally unclear whether or not it might shed a lot, if any, gentle on the principle questions raised within the conspiracy theories — significantly the existence and potential contents of an Epstein consumer checklist.
Requested on Friday by reporters if he would pursue the broader launch of data associated to the case, Mr. Trump didn’t reply.
Bare girl and signature
Mr. Trump was for years shut with Epstein and the 2 have been photographed and videoed collectively at events, though there has by no means been proof of wrongdoing.
The Wall Avenue Journal article printed late on Thursday was damaging as a result of it indicated a shared curiosity in intercourse.
The Journal reported that Mr. Trump had wished Epstein a contented fiftieth birthday in 2003 with a letter that includes a hand-drawn bare girl and referring to their “secrets and techniques.” The letter was reportedly amongst a slew of well-wishes from different wealthy and well-known figures for a birthday album.
A livid Mr. Trump mentioned on his Fact Social platform that the purported letter was a “Rip-off” and “Pretend.”
Mr. Trump additionally mentioned that the Journal’s chief editor, Emma Tucker, had been advised the letter was faux and that she should not publish it.
Mr. Trump reacted in a sequence of livid social media posts, saying “it isn’t my language. It is not my phrases.”
“I by no means wrote an image in my life. I do not draw footage of ladies,” he mentioned.
U.S. media has printed a number of drawings carried out by Mr. Trump prior to now, with a number of courting to the early 2000s when he used his movie star standing to donate sketches for charity.
Revealed – July 19, 2025 04:29 am IST
