US President Donald Trump has sued the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and its owner Rupert Murdoch over reporting related to Trump's relationship with the disgraced New York City financier, Jeffrey Epstein.

The lawsuit comes after WSJ published a report detailing a sexually suggestive birthday letter Trump sent to Epstein in 2003. 

What do we know so far? 

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of Florida federal court in Miami on Friday, also targets reporters who worked on the Trump-Epstein article along with Murdoch's companies Dow Jones and News Corp. Trump's defamation suit is seeking at least $10 billion (€11.6 billion) in damages.  

The article said that a letter with Trump's signature was included in a book for the financier on Epstein's 50th birthday. The letter from Trump reportedly outlined a sketch of a naked woman and said "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret."   

In response to Trump's lawsuit, WSJ publisher Dow Jones stood by the report on Trump's letter to Epstein. 

"We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and we will vigorously defend against any lawsuit," a spokesperson for Dow Jones said. 

Trump has vehemently denied that he wrote the letter to Epstein, who died in his jail cell in 2019 at the age of 66 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently in prison on federal charges for recruiting girls who would be abused by Epstein.   

Amid pressure, DOJ moves to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts

Trump's relationship with Epstein has faced scrutiny from even his own supporters in recent weeks. 

Earlier this month, US Justice Department (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found that Epstein did not have a "client list" used to blackmail powerful figures. The DOJ and FBI also reiterated that Epstein killed himself and was not murdered. 

The idea of an Epstein client list, along with the belief that the financier was murdered, are commonly held among Trump supporters. Prior to the 2024 presidential election, Trump-allied officials such as now-FBI director Kash Patel urged public disclosure of documents related to Epstein. 

As the Trump administration faces pressure to be more transparent on the Epstein case, the DOJ on Friday filed a motion in Manhattan federal court to release grand jury transcripts pertaining to Epstein. It came after Trump a day earlier ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to ask the court to unseal those transcripts.

"Public officials, lawmakers, pundits and ordinary citizens remain deeply interested and concerned about the Epstein matter," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the filing to the Manhattan federal court. "After all, Jeffrey Epstein is the most infamous pedophile in American history."  

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko