Trump asks for swift deposition of Rupert Murdoch in Epstein defamation case
Trump is suing The Wall Street Journal and owners, including Murdoch, over a report that Trump’s name was in a birthday card for Epstein
Donald Trump on Monday asked a US court to order a swift deposition for billionaire Rupert Murdoch in the US president’s defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over its July 17 article asserting Trump’s name was on a 2003 birthday greeting for the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Republican president on July 18 sued the Journal, its owners, including Murdoch, and the reporters who wrote the story, which said Trump’s letter included a sexually suggestive drawing and a reference to secrets they shared.
Trump’s lawsuit called the alleged birthday greeting “fake” and said the Journal published its article to harm the president’s reputation. In a court filing on Monday, Trump’s lawyers said Trump told Murdoch before the article was published that the letter referenced in the story was fake, and Murdoch told Trump he would “take care of it”.
“Murdoch’s direct involvement further underscores Defendants’ actual malice,” Trump’s lawyers wrote, referring to the legal standard Trump must clear to prevail in his lawsuit.
His lawyers asked US District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami to compel Murdoch, 94, to testify within 15 days. Gayles ordered Murdoch to respond by August 4.
Dow Jones, the Journal’s publisher, declined to comment. Dow Jones has said the Journal stood by its reporting and would vigorously defend against the lawsuit.