Trump Refiles $10B Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal Over Jeffrey Epstein Birthday Card

(Image via AP)

President Donald Trump has refiled his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over reporting linking him to an alleged birthday card sent to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein that purportedly carried his signature.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Miami, marks the president’s second attempt to sue the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper after U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles dismissed Trump’s first complaint in April, ruling it failed to satisfy the “actual malice” standard required in defamation suits involving public figures.

The newspaper first reported on the document last July, said to be signed by Trump that included a sexually suggestive drawing of a woman and a message reading: “Happy Birthday, may every day be another wonderful secret.”

The drawing was part of a 50th birthday album for Epstein compiled in 2003 by his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for child sex trafficking, according to the Journal.

Trump has consistently denied any connection to the document, rejecting claims that he authored the letter or that the signature is his, and slammed the report before taking legal action.

The updated complaint filed on Wednesday accuses the paper, its parent companies, and senior executives of knowingly publishing false claims that inflicted “overwhelming” damage on Trump’s reputation and finances.

Named in the lawsuit are Murdoch, Dow Jones, News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson, and Journal reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.

The renewed lawsuit continues Trump’s confrontation with major news organizations during his second term. The president has also pursued legal action against The New York Times and the BBC.

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