President Donald Trump has asked the U.S. court to quickly prove Rupert Murdoch in a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and to be the old age of a media tycoon.
Trump sued the billionaire in an article in the magazine, owned by Murdoch’s News Corp., which accused the president of writing a letter “bawdy” to celebrate the birthday of 2003 sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In court documents on Monday, Trump’s lawyers said he had notified Murdoch before the report was published that the letter was “fake.”
Trump’s lawyer argued that Murdoch should be asked to remove Murdoch quickly, noting that he is 94 and “is believed to have suffered severe health fears recently.”
“To sum up, these factors are unavailable in determining that Murdoch’s testimony cannot be obtained at the trial,” Trump’s lawyer said in a filing in Miami federal court.
A $10 billion (£7.5 billion) lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal pointed out that the publication is trying to damage the president’s reputation.
Dow Jones, the magazine publisher, insisted on reporting and said it was intended to defend his lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles, who presided over the case, has asked Murdoch to respond to Trump’s testimony request by August 4.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a letter with Trump’s name “contains several lines of typing, made up of the outline of a naked woman, which seems to have been hand-painted with heavy markers.”
“Inside the silhouette of a naked woman is a typographical account of a fictional dialogue between Trump and Epstein, written in third person,” the report said.
It reportedly included a joke quote, “Never Aging,” and ended with these words: “A friend is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday – May every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump denied writing after publishing an article on July 17, saying, “These are not my words, not my way of speaking. And, I don’t draw pictures.”
The article was published amid growing pressure from the Trump administration to disclose more information about Epstein.
Trump and Epstein have had a public friendship for several years. The president claimed their relationship was sore in 2004, early after Epstein was arrested on sexual trafficking charges.
Epstein died in 2019 due to suicide, while awaiting trial on sexual trafficking charges.
In addition to birthday greetings, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was told he was one of hundreds named in Epstein’s Justice Department documents.
On Monday, the president told reporters that his name might have been implanted into Epstein’s archives by former Attorney General Merrick Garland or former FBI director James Comey.
Trump has provided no evidence to support his allegations. Garland and Comey did not immediately respond to his comments.
Health & Wellness Contributor
A wellness enthusiast and certified nutrition advisor, Meera covers everything from healthy living tips to medical breakthroughs. Her articles aim to inform and inspire readers to live better every day.
