House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed against The Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) reporting on Friday, which claimed President Donald Trump sent disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein a “bawdy” birthday card.
The WSJ alleged that Trump sent Epstein a typewritten letter and a drawing of a naked stick figure lady with his initials written below it in celebration of his 50th birthday in 2003, which the president denied ever writing or sending. Johnson said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the “bogus” report is another attempt for the media to slander Trump.
“The president and I talked about that ridiculous allegation this morning. He said it is patently absurd,” Johnson said.” He’s never drawn such a picture, he’s never thought of drawing such a picture and he said, ‘Did you see the language of this bogus communication or card or something that he supposedly sent to Epstein?’ He said ‘I don’t talk like that, I don’t think like that.’ [WSJ] is literally making things up.”
The Speaker of the House added that the president could end up “suing some of the media outlets that had put all of this out there because he had informed them that it is totally contrived.”
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” So look, the president is the most maligned and attacked political figure in the history of our politics, there’s no question about it. But he’s also the most resilient, “Johnson said.
Trump threatened to sue The WSJ, News Corp and Rupert Murdoch over the report, which he referred to as a “fake thing.”
“I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women,” Trump told The WSJ. “It’s not my language. It’s not my words. I’m gonna sue The WSJ just like I sued everyone else.”
The president further stated in a Truth Social post that The WSJ and Murdoch were “warned” that litigation would emerge if they published what he called a “false, malicious, and defamatory story.” Vice President J.D. Vance also responded by calling the story “complete and utter bullshit.”
“Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter bullshit. The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?” Vance asked in an X statement.
While Trump has publicly acknowledged his previous friendship with Epstein, he said that the two reportedly cut all contact in 2004 after having a “falling out,” according to The New York Times. Two years later, authorities arrested Epstein for the first time and charged him with felony solicitation of prostitution.
The media’s extensive spotlight on Epstein emerged after the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) concluded on July 6 that Epstein committed suicide in 2019 and that there is no evidence that he possessed a so-called “client list.” House Democrats, led by California Rep. Ro Khanna, attempted to vote on a resolution to force Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all of the files related to Epstein, though House and Senate Republicans blocked these efforts in a Tuesday procedural vote.
Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Thursday that he asked Bondi to release “all pertinent grand jury testimony” that is subject to court approval. Bondi confirmed that the DOJ is preparing to release the grand jury transcripts.
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