President Donald Trump has filed a $20 billion libel lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company Dow Jones & Company, and two of its reporters.
The lawsuit claims the Journal published a false and defamatory story linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.
The legal action, filed Friday in federal court in Miami, centers on an article that alleged Trump sent Epstein a letter for Epstein’s 50th birthday, which included an outline drawing of a naked woman.
Trump denies the story, calling it a complete fabrication.
According to the lawsuit, no such letter or drawing exists. Trump’s legal team criticized the Journal for failing to adhere to journalistic ethics and accurate reporting standards.
The suit also points out that the article did not include the supposed letter or illustration.
The article was authored by Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo and was published on Thursday afternoon.
Both reporters are named as defendants alongside Dow Jones, which operates under Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, per the Conservative Brief.
Trump responded quickly after the article’s release, warning the Wall Street Journal in advance not to publish what he called a “FAKE” letter. He claimed that Murdoch personally promised to stop the publication, but failed