Court rejects Trump case against Wall Street Journal

A federal judge in the United States dismissed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over an article concerning his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, AP reports.

Federal Judge Darrin P. Gayles in Florida wrote in his ruling that Trump failed to demonstrate that the article had been published with malicious intent, though he allowed the possibility of filing an amended complaint, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

According to AP, Trump filed the lawsuit in July, shortly after the newspaper renewed attention on his well-documented relationship with Epstein by publishing an article describing a sexually suggestive letter allegedly signed by Trump. The letter was said to have been included in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday.

The letter later became public through US Congress, which had requested documents from Epstein’s estate via subpoena.

The ruling represents another setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to manage the fallout from the release of Epstein-related files and the president’s attempts to use the legal system to counter reporting he considers critical, AP noted.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Florida court’s decision.