Trump Sues Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal, Demanding $10 Billion in Damages

SadaNews - Former U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the "Wall Street Journal," demanding at least $10 billion in damages for publishing a report about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, who has been accused of sexual crimes.

Trump, who is 79 years old, has brought the defamation case before the federal court in Miami in response to a scandal that threatens to cause serious political damage to him, according to a report from the "French Press Agency."

Trump stated on his platform "Truth Social" late Friday: "We have just filed a very powerful lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, and defamatory article and the fake news in the worthless rag that is the Wall Street Journal."

The "Wall Street Journal" reported on Thursday that Trump wrote an intriguing letter to Jeffrey Epstein on his birthday in 2003, containing a drawing of a naked woman and referring to their "shared secret."

The lawsuit, which also names two journalists and Murdoch's company "News Corp" as defendants, claims that such a letter does not exist and that the newspaper deliberately sought to defame Trump through an article seen by hundreds of millions of people.

It added: "Given the timing of the defendants' article, which shows their malicious intent, the immense damage suffered by President Trump, both financially and to his personal reputation, will continue to multiply."

"Cover-up"

In another attempt to calm the anger among his supporters regarding the alleged government cover-up of Epstein's activities and his death in 2019, Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of testimonies presented in this case before a grand jury.

Bondi's letter directed for this purpose in New York stated that the unusual request involves a "significant public interest."

In the U.S. judicial system, the grand jury, formed of randomly selected citizens, intervenes during investigations, reviewing evidence and testimonies to decide whether to bring charges.

It was unclear whether a court would allow for the release of testimonies given before the grand jury.

On Friday, Trump did not respond to a question posed by reporters at the White House about whether he would request the release of more documents related to the Epstein case.

Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and faced charges of sexually exploiting minors and conspiracy to sexually exploit minors.

His death fueled a number of unverified theories alleging that he was killed to prevent the disclosure of information related to prominent figures.

He had previously received a short prison sentence in 2008 after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitutes, including minors.

For years, individuals close to the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement, led by Trump, have been demanding the release of a purported secret list of names of individuals involved with Jeffrey Epstein.

However, about ten days ago, the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed in a joint report that there was no evidence of such a list or any blackmail of specific figures.

This sparked outrage among MAGA supporters on social media.

Naked Woman and Signature

Trump was a friend of Epstein, and pictures and videos of the two have been published over the years at parties, although no evidence has emerged showing he committed any wrongdoing.

However, the article published by the "Wall Street Journal" on Thursday makes it unlikely to bury this issue.

According to the newspaper, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's associate, asked dozens of his close friends, including Trump, who was then a real estate mogul, to contribute messages for a guestbook prepared as a gift for her partner on his 50th birthday.

Trump contributed a message at that time which included pornography, like other messages contained in the book, according to the newspaper.

According to the "Wall Street Journal," Trump's message is a typewritten note spanning several lines, surrounded by a drawing of a naked woman.

The newspaper noted that Trump signed the message by hand at the woman's waist, making his signature "Donald" appear as though it was part of the pubic hair. The "Wall Street Journal" stated that it had reviewed the message but did not publish it again.

Trump expressed regret that the newspaper insisted on publishing a "false, malicious, and defamatory article" despite his warning to them, affirming that "if there were a speck of truth in the Epstein hoax, this information would have been disclosed long ago" by his political opponents.

He added via "Truth Social": "These are not my words... I told Rupert Murdoch it was a hoax, and that this false story should not be published. But he did, and now I will sue him."