President Donald Trump has followed through on a threat to sue The Wall Street Journal and owner Rupert Murdoch over a story the paper published Thursday about an off-color letter he allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein.
According to CNBC reports posted on Friday afternoon, court records show that Trump filed a lawsuit alleging libel by Murdoch, the Journal’s publisher, Dow Jones, and the reporters who wrote the article.
The news report said the matter was filed in federal court for the Southern District of Florida.
Reuters reported that Trump is seeking at least $10 billion in damages over the Journal’s report that in 2003 he sent Epstein a birthday greeting that included a sexually suggestive drawing and a reference to shared secrets.
The original article in the Journal asserted that the letter, said to feature a sketch of a naked woman and Trump’s signature, was part of a collection of notes for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003.
The newspaper says it reviewed the letter but did not print an image.
