President Donald Trump is making waves by asking a court to schedule Rupert Murdoch's deposition quickly in his $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. Trump's legal team argues that because Murdoch is 94 years old and reportedly facing health issues, he may not be available for in-person testimony later on.
The lawsuit stems from a Journal article that alleged Trump penned a crude birthday letter for notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein back in 2003. In a court filing, Trump's lawyers insist he had told Murdoch that the letter was fabricated before it was published.
The Journal, owned by Murdoch's News Corp, stands by the piece, which humorously portrayed a conversation between Trump and Epstein, supposedly featuring inappropriate drawings and an alleged birthday wish. Trump, however, has firmly denied writing the letter, insisting, "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures."
Meanwhile, as pressure builds on Trump to disclose more about his ties to Epstein, he claims that naming him might have been a tactic by former officials like Merrick Garland or James Comey, although he offers no proof for this assertion. The court has requested a response from Murdoch regarding the deposition by August 4. The lawsuit further complicates Trump's relations with media and could impact how his audience views his past connections with Epstein.
