Donald Trump has filed a USD 10 billion defamation lawsuit against media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and the parent companies of The Wall Street Journal News Corp and Dow Jones. The former US President took this legal step after The Wall Street Journal published a report claiming he had sent a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.

The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of Florida federal court in Miami. It accuses the newspaper of publishing false and damaging information about Trump.

Epstein’s Controversial Past

Jeffrey Epstein was accused of sexually abusing many minors before he died in a prison cell in 2019. His long list of alleged crimes has remained a major topic in US media.

According to the WSJ report, Trump’s letter was allegedly part of a birthday album prepared by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate. The report said that the letter contained a sketch of a naked woman. It also claimed Trump’s signature appeared in a sexually suggestive way, alongside a note referencing “wonderful secrets.”

However, the newspaper did not publish any images of the letter itself.

Trump Denies Allegations

Trump has denied these claims strongly. He took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to respond. “The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein,” Trump wrote. “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures,” he added.

In another post, Trump accused Murdoch directly. “I told Rupert Murdoch it was a scam, that he shouldn’t print this fake story. But he did, and now I am going to sue his a** off, and that of his third-rate newspaper.”

Murdoch Promised Action, Claims Trump

Trump also said that Rupert Murdoch had earlier assured him that the matter would be handled. “Murdoch stated that he would take care of it, but obviously did not have the power to do so,” Trump said. “Instead they are going with a false, malicious, defamatory story anyway.”

Trump Follows Through on Legal Threat

Trump had previously threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal once the story became public. By filing the lawsuit, he acted on that promise. “I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience,” Trump stated.