President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over reporting on his alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein has hit a serious obstacle. Legal experts say the recent release of the letter by House Oversight Committee Democrats makes it far more difficult for Trump to prove his case. The letter, featuring a crude doodle of a naked woman and a poem wishing Epstein a “wonderful secret,” contradicts Trump’s repeated claims that it did not exist.
Letter Confirms Existence
The House Oversight Committee’s release of the 2003 birthday letter undermines Trump’s central claim that the letter was nonexistent. The letter contains the poem and illustration, forcing Trump to pivot his legal argument to focus on whether the signature is genuinely his. Former federal prosecutor Elie Honig told CNN, “If you look at Donald Trump’s actual complaint here, his lawsuit, he alleges… ‘nonexistent.’ Well, now we know that’s off the table.”
Signature Dispute
The White House claims the signature is not Trump’s, but legal analysts remain skeptical. Jake Tapper noted the resemblance between the letter and Trump’s 2015 signature, and Honig explained, “Maybe not the ones in the pictures that Taylor Budowich tweeted out… But here’s one from a letter President Trump did … in 2015. I mean, it’s pretty identical.” This makes the fallback argument challenging to prove in court.
Legal Hurdles Increase
Trump must now prove both that the WSJ reporting was false and that it was knowingly or recklessly false. Honig said, “So Trump has to prove that A) the reporting was false, and that B) it was knowingly or recklessly false. And I think this was a long shot to begin with. And I think the appearance of this letter has made it even longer of a shot.” The legal path to victory is now considerably narrower.
Implications for Case
The release of the letter is a significant blow to Trump’s defamation lawsuit, potentially forcing the case into prolonged litigation with a high risk of failure. Experts suggest that proving the signature is forged or inaccurate will be a difficult and complex process, leaving Trump with limited legal avenues to challenge the reporting.