Wall Street Journal calls Trump lawsuit ‘affront’ to free speech in dismissal request
The Wall Street Journal has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former President Donald Trump, characterizing the legal action as an “affront” to the First Amendment.Trump sued the outlet’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, its publisher Dow Jones & Company, and two reporters over a July story about Trump’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A key focus of the story was a birthday letter Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein in 2003, which Trump described as “false, malicious, and defamatory.”
In its dismissal request, the Wall Street Journal argued that the article was true, not defamatory, and that trump failed to prove “actual malice” or awareness of probable falsity by the defendants. the motion emphasized that the lawsuit threatens free speech by trying to silence a newspaper for publishing verified information released by Congress. The outlet also stated that the letter in question was a “bawdy” but not defamatory gesture between friends.
While some, including Eric Trump and others, expressed doubt about the letter’s authenticity, a Washington Examiner journalist described the signature as likely genuine and criticized the Trump administration’s denial of the letter. The case is part of broader tensions involving media reporting, free speech, and defamation claims.
Wall Street Journal calls Trump lawsuit ‘affront’ to free speech in dismissal request
The Wall Street Journal filed a motion to dismiss President Donald Trump‘s lawsuit against it on Monday, calling Trump’s action an “affront” on the First Amendment.
Trump sued the outlet’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, its publisher, Dow Jones & Company, and two reporters who wrote a story regarding Trump’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in July. A central part of the story focused on a birthday letter Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein in 2003, though the president called the story “false, malicious, and defamatory.”
The outlet cited three points for dismissing Trump’s lawsuit, saying the story is true, it’s not defamatory, nor has Trump pleaded that the defendants shared the story with “actual malice” or a subjective awareness of “probable falsity.”
“In an affront to the First Amendment, the President of the United States brought this lawsuit to silence a newspaper for publishing speech that was subsequently proven true by documents released by Congress to the American public. By its very nature, this meritless lawsuit threatens to chill the speech of those who dare to publish content that the President does not like,” the motion says.
The motion also says there is “nothing defamatory” about sending a “bawdy” letter to a friend. It adds that the outlet’s story cites a magazine quoting Trump saying he knew Epstein for “15 years” and he was a “terrific guy” and “a lot of fun to be with.”
Dow Jones & Company declined to comment further to the Washington Examiner.
Multiple people, such as Eric Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and radio host Charlamagne tha God, have expressed skepticism over the validity of the letter and Trump’s signature on it. However, the Washington Examiner‘s Sarah Bedford said it’s “extremely plausible” that Trump’s signature on the letter is legitimate and asked why the Trump administration is spending so much time denying the letter.
“There is nothing nefarious about Donald Trump having signed a birthday card that was put across his desk at the time, so the denial makes no sense,” Bedford said on Fox News’s MediaBuzz on Sept. 14.
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Trump said on Sunday that multiple people are involved in the United States’s negotiations with China over controlling TikTok’s algorithm, one of whom is News Corporation Executive Chairman Lachlan Murdoch. Dow Jones & Company is one of the many media companies owned by News Corp.
Lachlan ended his family’s yearslong succession battle on Sept. 8, keeping him in control of voting shares for News Corp and Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox News. His father, Rupert Murdoch, is staying on as chairman emeritus.
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