Trump's WSJ Lawsuit Gets Obama Judge

Trump's WSJ Lawsuit Gets Obama Judge

The News

Obama-appointed Judge Darrin P. Gayles has been assigned to President Donald Trump's defamation suit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over a story about an alleged birthday drawing for Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump strongly denied drawing or writing the bawdy 50th birthday message for the late pedophile financier, a former friend of the president.

Gayles serves on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where Trump's lawsuit was filed.

Reactions

Trump Slams 'Defamatory Lies'

In a post on Truth Social following the Journal's story, Trump said he warned the newspaper and its owner, Murdoch, that the Epstein birthday letter "was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued," calling the report "defamatory lies."

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

What's Next

Trump has directed the DOJ to release more material, in particular grand jury testimonies related to the Epstein case.

More

He was appointed to the court by former President Barack Obama in 2014, becoming the first openly gay Black man to serve on the federal bench.

Trump has often accused the judiciary of political bias against him, sharply criticizing judges appointed by Democratic presidents who do not rule in his favor.

The alleged letter is dated 2003, several years before Epstein's illicit activities were publicly known, and said to feature several lines of typewritten text surrounded by the outline of a naked woman, sketched in marker.

The illustration also includes two small arcs representing breasts, with Trump's signature allegedly written below the waist and resembling pubic hair, the report said.

According to the Journal, the letter concludes: "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret."

Epstein MAGA Pressure on Trump

Trump is under pressure over the Epstein issue from his MAGA base, a rare split in a deeply loyal political movement that has mostly held together.

He and his officials had promised full transparency on the Epstein case files amid rampant speculation that the financier had a client list of powerful people for whom he procured children to abuse and then blackmailed them.

But the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) concluded that there was no credible evidence of a client list or that Epstein blackmailed people, after a review of the files.

The news angered Trump supporters. Trump has called the Epstein story a "hoax" and a "scam" and urged his supporters to move on.

Colleges Condemn Students Mocking Kirk Assassination Anniversary

Charleston White Arrested Again on Florida Battery Charge

Border Patrol Rescues MS NOW Crew in Desert

Supreme Court Restores Missouri's Old House Map

Alaska Drops Felony Voter Charges Against Samoans

Trespasser Breaches Harris' Malibu Estate; No Arrest

Hegseth Pressed Downed Airmen Into 60 Minutes

Houthis Seize Mokha, Choking Saudi Oil Exports

Altman Rules Out OpenAI IPO This Year

Jury Acquits Lil Durk in Murder-for-Hire Case

Judge: Trump Broke Law Halving FEMA Staff

Maher Calls Democrats' Gaza Genocide Claim a Lie

Blizzard Revives StarCraft, Sends Diablo to Netflix

Trump's Queens Childhood Home Sells for $1.93M

Scientists Find New Virus in Tick Invading US

Britain Bans Settlement Imports; US States Threaten Payback

Prison Fire Kills 7 as Kurds Protest Killing

Kosovo Rallies for Ex-President Before Hague Verdict

Cruz Booed at GameDay Over College Sports Bill

Blast Hits Bulgarian Arms Plant Supplying Ukraine