Murdoch Slams Trump’s Epstein Lawsuit as a Threat to Free Speech

(Bloomberg) — Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. have urged a US judge to dismiss Donald Trump’s staggering $10 billion libel lawsuit. The lawsuit stems from a Wall Street Journal article linking him to an inappropriate birthday message for the late Jeffrey Epstein, which Murdoch’s team argues is an “affront to the First Amendment.”

In their legal filing, Murdoch’s attorneys maintain that the July 17 article accurately described a note—complete with Trump’s signature—sent to Epstein in 2003, which included a drawing of a naked woman. They assert that this account does not disparage Trump’s reputation.

They further stated, “This baseless lawsuit inherently aims to suppress the discourse of those willing to share information that might not sit well with the President.” Of course, this case is receiving plenty of attention, especially with Trump embroiled in heated criticism over his administration’s management of Epstein-related documents. Epstein, a financier with a questionable past, died in prison in 2019 while facing charges related to sex trafficking.

The Wall Street Journal piece, detailing a collection of birthday messages intended for Epstein’s 50th celebration, added fuel to the fire around Trump. Despite his repeated assurances of having no knowledge of Epstein’s actions, Democrats in Congress investigating Epstein’s operation recently released the alleged birthday note supposedly sent by Trump.

“A couple of weeks prior, under a congressional subpoena, Epstein’s estate shared the Birthday Book where Trump’s letter, featuring the explicit illustration and his signature, was documented as the article described,” remarked Murdoch’s lawyers in their motion.

The White House has yet to respond to inquiries regarding this situation.

Murdoch and News Corp. underlined that the First Amendment safeguards honest communication, which they consider a cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution.

Notably, they pointed out that Trump has acknowledged his past friendship with Epstein, referencing a New York magazine article from three months prior to the birthday note that had Trump describing Epstein as a “terrific guy” and someone who “likes beautiful women just as much as I do.”

This lawsuit comes after another of Trump’s defamation claims of $15 billion against the New York Times was thrown out by a judge. The court found that Trump’s legal team excessively filled the complaint with irrelevant details, allowing him to refile a more concise version adhering to legal standards.

(Updates contain additional context from the court filing starting from the third paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg