Former Federal Prosecutor Reveals How Trump's Lawsuit Over Epstein Letter Could Horribly Backfire

President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal for an article on how he allegedly wished sex offender Jeffrey Epstein "happy birthday" with a drawing of a naked woman could horribly backfire, according to a former federal prosecutor.

The president has come under intense scrutiny over his administration's refusal to release the Epstein files. He came under fire again following the Journal's report, detailing how a drawing of a naked woman was signed "Donald" where her pubic hair would be. Trump has repeatedly denied authoring such a letter.

When the publication reached out to Trump for comment prior to publishing, the president reportedly threatened to sue at the time. On Saturday, Trump officially filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages.

In a piece for Politico Magazine, lawyer and former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori explained that if the Journal chooses not to settle the lawsuit or if a judge does not dismiss it, the publication's lawyers could be asked to share the letter in court.

As attorneys would need to be able to prove Trump's denial of creating the letter, the newspaper could also be ordered to provide additional information about Trump and Epstein's relationship, and any record of Trump and Epstein's communication could be requested by the paper's lawyers. All of this would seemingly become public, as most court proceedings are.

Khadori noted however that with his law experience, the lawsuit appeared weak. He noted careful wording from the Journal so as not to explicitly state that Trump authored the letter, lessening the lawsuit's claim that the article contained false statements.

Trump's threats against the media are not new. The president has continually bashed journalists and news publications at news conferences and in Truth Social posts, and has fired several lawsuits in the past.

But even with Trump's recent win with CBS News agreeing to pay a $16 million settlement over their "60 Minutes" interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's lawsuit track record against the media has not been strong. The president lost cases against the Washington Post in 2020, the New York Times in 2021, CNN in 2023 and investigative journalist Bob Woodward just last week.

Following renewed scrutiny over the Epstein case following the Journal's report, Trump called for the Department of Justice to "produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony subject to court approval," which Attorney General Pam Bondi said her department was "ready" to do.

The Trump administration's refusal to release the Epstein files has sparked intense backlash from both sides of the aisle, though MAGA supporters have become increasingly upset as Trump seemingly suggested he would be open to releasing the files during his 2024 campaign. The president has faced continued scrutiny since seemingly encouraging both his supporters and the media to move on from the issue.