Trump sues Wall Street Journal for $10b over Epstein
The defamation lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, saw the 79-year-old Republican hitting back at a scandal threatening to cause serious political damage.
"We have just filed a POWERHOUSE Lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS 'article' in the useless 'rag' that is, The Wall Street Journal," Trump posted on Truth Social late Friday.
The Journal reported on Thursday that in 2003, the then-real estate magnate wrote a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein, illustrated with a naked woman and alluding to a shared "secret."
The lawsuit, which also names two reporters, the Dow Jones corporation, and Murdoch's parent company News Corp. as defendants, claims that no such letter exists and that the paper intended to malign Trump with a story that has now been viewed by hundreds of millions of people.
"And given the timing of the Defendants' article, which shows their malicious intent behind it, the overwhelming financial and reputational harm suffered by President Trump will continue to multiply," it said.
Dow Jones, the Journal's longtime publisher, responded to Trump's libel suit Friday saying it is standing by the story.
"We have full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit," a Dow Jones spokesperson said in a statement.
Alleged cover-up
In another bid to dampen outrage among his own supporters about an alleged government cover-up of Epstein's activities and 2019 death, Trump ordered US Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the unsealing of grand jury testimony from the prosecution against the disgraced financier.
In a filing in New York, Bondi cited "extensive public interest" for the unusual request to release what is typically secret testimony.
Epstein, a longtime friend of Trump and multiple high-profile men, was found hanging dead in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida.
The case sparked conspiracy theories, especially among Trump's far-right voters, about an alleged international cabal of wealthy pedophiles. When
Trump was close with Epstein for years, and the two were photographed and videoed together at parties, although there has never been evidence of wrongdoing.
The Journal reported that Trump had wished Epstein a happy 50th birthday in 2003 with a "bawdy" letter, part of an album of messages from rich and well-known figures.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
4 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defends decision to support military aid for Israel
US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has come under fire for defending her decision to support a bill which will see more military aid go to Israel's Iron Dome air defence system. The New York lawmaker voted against an amendment by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene last week that sought to block $500m in Congress' annual defence spending bill for Israel's Iron Dome programme. Fellow Democrats Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar had supported Taylor Greene's amendment, which eventually lost in a 422-6 vote. In a post on X on Saturday, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that Green's amendment did "nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza". "What it does do is cut off defensive Iron Dome capacities while allowing the actual bombs killing Palestinians to continue," she said. "I have long stated that I do not believe that adding to the death count of innocent victims to this war is constructive to its end. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "That is a simple and clear difference of opinion that has long been established. I remain focused on cutting the flow of US munitions that are being used to perpetuate the genocide in Gaza." On Saturday, the Democratic Socialists of America, of which Ocasio-Cortez is a member, said it was crucial that lawmakers backed all-encompassing arm embargoes against Israel, including those concerning defensive weapons. 'While the Congresswoman voted against the defense appropriations bill itself, voting against funding for the imperialist military-industrial complex and the Israeli genocide, we were further deeply disappointed by her clarifying statement on her position on the Iron Dome. AOC faces backlash for crying, but not voting, over bill to fund Israel's Iron Dome Read More » 'Along with other US-funded interceptor systems, the Iron Dome has emboldened Israel to invade or bomb no less than five different countries in the past two years.' DSA said that providing any military aid to Israel while they carried out a genocide with US support is completely unacceptable as it legitimised "its eliminationist campaign against the Palestinian people". "The fact that Representative Ocasio-Cortez acknowledges that Israel is carrying out this genocide makes her support for military aid all the more disappointing and incongruous," DSA continued. On Monday, Ocasio-Cortez faced criticism from members of the public, including at least one person who defaced her campaign office with red paint. A sign was also left outside the building, accusing the congresswoman of funding a genocide in Gaza. The New York native in 2021 faced a deluge of criticism over the Iron Dome defence system, when she cried on the House floor after changing her vote from "no" to "present" on providing $1bn in funding for the defence system. In an open letter after that incident, she said she had changed her vote because she was subject to "hateful targeting".
Middle East Eye
4 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Trump 'caught off guard' by Israeli strikes on Syria, White House says
US President Donald Trump was "caught off guard" by Israel's bombing of Syria, the White House said on Monday, signalling a potentially new sour point in his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "He was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of the Catholic Church in Gaza," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. Her remarks come after Middle East Eye first reported that the US was "upset" by Israel's targeting of Syrian forces entering the country's south and the strikes on Syria's ministry of defence and the outskirts of the presidential palace. Middle East Eye also reported that Saudi Arabia was "angry" about Israel attacking Syrian soldiers and dictating military deployments to Damascus. Sweida has been the site of sectarian violence between the majority Druze community and Sunni Bedouins. Israel has framed its military intervention as being in support of the Syrian Druze. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Current and former Arab, Israeli, and US officials say Israel is trying to carve out a zone of influence in Syria that conflicts directly with the vision of a unitary post-war Syria put forward by Tom Barrack, Trump's special envoy and ambassador to Turkey. With Damascus strikes, Israel seeks to tear up Trump's vision for Syria Read More » "I think Potus and others in the administration have been crystal clear about the path for Syria," a US official in the region who was monitoring the Israeli strikes told MEE last week, referring to President Trump. MEE reported on Friday that Saudi Arabia told the Trump administration that Syrian security forces should be able to deploy to Sweida. A fragile ceasefire struck late last week was holding on Monday amid reports of atrocities committed by both sides. Israel's strikes came as the US was trying to broker a normalisation of ties between Syria and Israel. The Trump administration has heralded Syria as a model for its version of Middle East statecraft underwritten by Turkish military might and Gulf cash. Trump announced in May that he was lifting all US sanctions on Syria despite objections from Israel and some of his own advisors. Trump said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were responsible for convincing him to make the decision.
Gulf Today
5 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Tick tock, Kamala — California's getting tired of waiting
Robin Epley, Tribune News Service California is not a consolation prize for losing the presidency, and a Kamala Harris run for governor isn't going to inspire an electorate that is fed up with the Democratic Party's staid-and-afraid status quo. That being said, if Harris is going to run for governor of California — good God, get on with it already. The former Vice President recently set an unofficial deadline to announce by 'the end of summer' — but wasn't specific about a particular date. (What exactly is the 'end of summer,' anyway? The last 100-degree day? The last pitch of an MLB game? When they stop serving Aperol spritzes at Ella?) But these 'will she or won't she' games belong to a homecoming queen race, not a gubernatorial one. 'I could make all sorts of arguments for her and why she should and could do any number of other things,' Brian Brokaw, a Democratic political consultant who served as the manager for Harris' successful campaigns for California Attorney General and for Senate. '(But) if there's one thing I know about her, it's that she doesn't care what the rest of us think. She is going to make up her own mind.' Fair point. But I'm pretty sure running for political office means you have to care a teeny tiny bit about what other people think of you. The most recent numbers look good for Harris, anyway: A new poll by UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology recently showed some good news for a Harris campaign, with 24% of respondents saying they'd vote for her over any other declared or rumored candidates. She fared even better when pitted against literally any potential Republican — 41% to just 29%. (Sad trombone noises. It's still California, after all.) But there were a concerning number of respondents to that same poll, 40%, who said they're not yet sure who they'd vote for to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. That's an awful lot of votes left on the table, and Harris has not habitually fared well with undecided voters. And, the disillusionment of California voters with the Democratic Party starts with the humiliating loss last November — for which Harris is the poster child. 'There's a torrent of discontent in the (Democratic) party,' Mike Madrid, a former political director for the California Republican Party who is currently consulting for Stephen Cloobeck, a time-share billionaire and outsider Democratic candidate who is running for California governor in 2026. 'They want a different message and messenger,' Madrid said. '(California is) disaffected by the majority party ... It's materialising as low voter turnout, or being civically-engaged at all. They don't believe that the Democratic Party is doing anything to benefit them, (and) I think the elected politicians are having a hard time gaining traction.' So I see why some Republicans must be salivating at the idea of another Harris run in California. They beat her once already, though doing it again in her home state that went blue by 58% would be significantly more difficult. Meanwhile, top Dems who have already declared their intentions — including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former state Controller Betty Yee and state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond would likely step aside if Harris finally pulled the trigger on a run. But neither has Harris' possible inclusion totally cleared the field: Former Attorney General Xavier Becerra and former mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa have said they would stay in the race, regardless. And both former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter and former state Senate leader Toni Atkins recently announced they'd stay in, too; the latter saying in a statement that, 'while the vice president has her own path, our campaign is moving full speed ahead.' In fact, I think some of them are actually hoping she will, so they can bow out of the race gracefully without looking like they fumbled the bag in announcing too soon. (Lookin' at you, Eleni!) If Harris was going to throw her hat in the ring, she should have done it by now to try and capitalize on some of the anger that Californians felt in the immediate aftermath of the last election. Now we're just tired and sad, and neither of those emotions is a great start for a candidate, even if 'real human beings' attentions aren't yet on the November 2026 race.
