(MENAFN) Former US President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his companies over a Wall Street Journal article that alleged Trump sent a provocative birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.

Filed Friday in federal court in Florida’s Southern District, the lawsuit names Murdoch, News Corp, Dow Jones, and two WSJ journalists as defendants. While the full complaint has not yet been made public, court records confirm the case is officially on file.

Trump commented on the lawsuit via Truth Social, writing, “I look forward to having Rupert Murdoch testify in court in my case against him and his ‘garbage’ newspaper, the WSJ. That should be quite an experience!”

The legal action follows a WSJ article published Thursday, which claimed Trump had written a suggestive note to Epstein for his 50th birthday. The report referenced a nude sketch signed “Donald,” allegedly part of a leather-bound album assembled by Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

“I warned Rupert Murdoch this was a scam... But he went ahead and published it, so now I’m going to sue him big time,” Trump posted Thursday night.

The lawsuit comes amid growing criticism of Trump’s handling of the Epstein affair. In response to mounting public pressure, Trump recently instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek court approval to unseal grand jury transcripts. This move followed the DOJ’s statement that no additional Epstein-related documents would be released and that no “client list” had ever existed.

Bondi had earlier implied she possessed such a list, mentioning a “truckload” of disturbing FBI files. She later clarified that her comments referred more broadly to case files within her office.

Epstein, who was arrested in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking, died in jail before standing trial. Though officially deemed a suicide, his death has long fueled public suspicion. Maxwell was later convicted and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

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