President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its report on an intimate letter he allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein may not be in the president’s best interest, a CNN legal analyst said.
Trump on Friday also sued the paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, and News Corp after the Journal reported on the “bawdy” letter he reportedly sent Epstein in 2003—something the president has denied writing.
On CNN, The Lead anchor Jake Tapper wondered what discovery in the $10 billion case would entail, assuming the defendants want to know “everything they can” about Trump and Epstein’s bond.
“They‘re going to seek possession, or introduction as evidence, [of] whatever this birthday book is,” Tapper said, referring to Trump allegedly drawing a naked woman and wishing Epstein a happy 50th birthday, adding, “and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
“Might this not end up just dredging up a lot of stuff Trump doesn’t want to talk about anyway?” Tapper asked Elie Honig, a former state and federal prosecutor, in light of how Trump has sought to put the “pretty boring” Epstein controversy behind him.
“I’m not so sure Donald Trump has fully thought this one through,” CNN’s senior legal analyst replied, before noting Trump’s giddiness at the thought of Murdoch’s testimony.
“Well guess who else is going to have to testify under oath at a deposition: the plaintiff in this case, the person who’s suing, Donald John Trump,” Honig noted. “And the subject of that testimony, which again, will be under oath, will be his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. No holds barred.”
“By filing this lawsuit, he is walking himself right into that scenario,” Honig continued. “Discovery goes both ways. Plaintiff has to turn stuff over to the defendant, and vice versa. So, I have some questions about the legal strategy here.”
CNN Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid added that the lawsuit could just be an attempt at intimidation or a money grab by the president given his past settlements with Paramount, CBS News’ parent company, and ABC News.
She added that the lawsuit being filed within 24 hours of the story’s publication shows how “angry” Trump is about it.
Prior to publication, Trump had threatened to sue the paper if it were to go ahead with the story. And immediately afterward, the president lashed out at the “disgusting and filthy rag.”
The post CNN Legal Analyst Says Trump’s $10B WSJ Suit Could Come Back to Bite Him Over Epstein Ties appeared first on The Daily Beast.
