President Donald Trump has filed a major lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, accusing the outlet of publishing a false and defamatory story that claimed a “bawdy” birthday letter bearing his name was gifted to Jeffrey Epstein.
The 18-page complaint was filed Friday and seeks at least $20 billion in damages. Trump had warned a day earlier that the story was “a FAKE,” adding that he had personally alerted WSJ owner Rupert Murdoch.
“Malicious Defamation”
Trump’s legal team described the WSJ article as “false, defamatory, unsubstantiated, and disparaging,” stating the outlet fabricated the story to damage Trump’s character.
“Defendants concocted this story to malign President Trump’s character and integrity and deceptively portray him in a false light,” the lawsuit states.
The Letter Allegation
The WSJ reported that the letter was part of a 2003 birthday album compiled by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
According to the outlet, Department of Justice officials saw pages from the album years ago. It remains unclear whether those documents were included in the DOJ’s later conclusion that Epstein did not have a “client list” or was murdered