Trump Seeks Quick Testimony from Murdoch in Epstein-Related Lawsuit

President Trump's legal team has requested a swift deposition of Rupert Murdoch, citing his age and health concerns, as part of a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a scandalous article linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.

Lawyers representing President Donald Trump have filed a motion in a U.S. court to expedite the deposition of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, emphasizing his advanced age and recent health issues as justifications for their request. The lawsuit at the center of this legal maneuver involves an article from the Wall Street Journal—owned by Murdoch's News Corp—which alleged that Trump had penned an inappropriate letter celebrating sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday back in 2003.

In official court documents submitted to a federal court in Miami, Trump's legal team contended that he informed Murdoch prior to the article's publication that the letter was fabricated. They expressed urgency in obtaining Murdoch's testimony, arguing that as he is currently 94 years old and has faced significant health scares recently, he may soon be unavailable for in-person testimony at trial.

The lawsuit, which is for $10 billion (£7.5 billion), claims that the Wall Street Journal aims to damage Trump's reputation with its reporting. The article in question included a description of a letter attributed to Trump, featuring typewritten text and imagery of a nude woman, supposedly crafted in a whimsical style suggesting a conversation between Trump and Epstein.

In a rebuttal after the article was published on July 17, Trump disavowed the contents of the letter, insisting, "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures." Trump also faced mounting pressure for further information on Epstein’s activities, especially given their previously publicized connection, which he asserts soured years before Epstein's legal troubles erupted.

The Wall Street Journal has remained steadfast in defending its story, while Judge Darrin Gayles, overseeing the case, has ordered Murdoch to respond to the deposition request by August 4. Additionally, Trump alleged that his name could have been deliberately included in Justice Department documents regarding Epstein by former officials such as Merrick Garland and James Comey, although he provided no evidence to support this claim.