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Trump sues Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal
US President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion.
Trump sues Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal recently published an explosive report about Trump’s friendship with the notorious American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
Donald Trump filed the defamation lawsuit in Miami federal court on Friday. Through this lawsuit, the 79-year-old Trump took action against a scandal that could seriously damage his political image.
Last night, Trump wrote in a post on his own social media account Truth Social, “We have just taken strong legal action against those involved in publishing false, hateful, defamatory, fake news “articles” that were published in a low-quality newspaper called The Wall Street Journal.” The indictment in the case also names two journalists and Rupert Murdoch’s company News Corporation.
The indictment alleges that no such letter exists and that The Wall Street Journal intentionally published the report to tarnish Trump’s reputation, which has already been viewed by billions of people.
The indictment also says, “Considering the timing of the defendants’ publication of the report, it is easy to understand their malicious intent. It will further compound the already significant financial and reputational damage to President Trump.”
Trump has taken another step to ease the anger among his supporters over the government’s cover-up of Epstein’s activities and his death in 2019. He has ordered his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to subpoena grand jury testimony against the notorious tycoon. In a petition filed in New York, Pam Bondi said the unusual request to release testimony that would normally be kept secret was motivated by “a strong public interest.”
Jeffrey Epstein was a friend of many wealthy and influential people at home and abroad, including Trump. He was charged with sexually abusing and trafficking many girls and teenagers in his homes in New York and Florida. He was awaiting trial.
While awaiting trial, Epstein’s hanging body was found in a New York prison cell in 2019. There was widespread debate at the time about whether he had committed suicide or been murdered.
The case against Epstein had fueled conspiracy theories among Trump’s hard-right supporters, especially around an alleged international child sex trafficking ring. Epstein’s untimely death before the trial began further fueled those conspiracy theories. It was later announced that Epstein had committed suicide.
