President Donald Trump has initiated a defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, following the newspaper's publication of a report detailing alleged ties between Trump and financier Jeffrey Epstein. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, seeks at least $10 billion in damages.
The Wall Street Journal's article described a letter purportedly written by Trump to Epstein in 2003, which allegedly included suggestive content. Trump has vehemently denied writing the letter, labeling the report as "false, malicious, and defamatory." He further stated that he does not draw pictures and that the letter was a fabrication.
In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, expressed confidence in the accuracy of their reporting and stated they would vigorously defend against the lawsuit.
Concurrently, the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a motion to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein's case, aiming to provide transparency amid public interest in the matter. The release of these documents is subject to judicial approval and may take several weeks or months to process.
The lawsuit and the motion to unseal grand jury transcripts have intensified public and political discourse surrounding the connections between Trump and Epstein, as well as the handling of related legal documents.