Owner of the Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, said on Friday that it will “vigorously defend” itself against a defamation lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump.
The suit challenges a recent article that connected the president to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as reported by AFP.
“We have full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit,” a Dow Jones spokesperson said in a statement hours after Trump filed a suit seeking at least $10 billion in damages from the company, The Wall Street Journal and media magnate Rupert Murdoch.
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal published a story describing a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday, as reported by AP.
Trump denied writing the letter, calling it “false, malicious, and defamatory.”
Earlier on Friday, Trump filed a lawsuit in federal court in Miami against media mogul Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal. The suit challenges the newspaper’s coverage of Trump’s alleged connections to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and demands a minimum of $10 billion in damages.
On Friday, Trump posted on his Truth Social site: “This lawsuit is filed not only on behalf of your favorite President, ME, but also in order to continue standing up for ALL Americans who will no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media.”
Trump has said he parted ways with Epstein before the financier’s legal troubles became public in 2006.
The lawsuit over The Wall Street Journal’s reporting on a letter the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a birthday album for Epstein accuses the paper and its reporters of having “knowingly and recklessly” published “numerous false, defamatory, and disparaging statements.”
(With inputs from agencies)