President Donald Trump could be asked about his links to Jeffrey Epstein under oath, a Watergate lawyer has claimed.
Nick Akerman says the lawsuit the president brought against the New York Times has opened the floodgates to further litigation that would allow The New York Times to dig through Trump's "shady past." The tables have turned on Trump, according to Akerman, who says the amended lawsuit Trump brought to the Florida federal court has "the potential to be a journalistic bonanza."
Writing in the New York Daily News, Akerman believes Trump has opened the floodgates for further investigations into his life. Akerman wrote, "Trump’s amended lawsuit in Florida federal court alleges that two Times articles and a book published by Penguin and authored by two of the Times reporters contain false and defamatory statements."
"This lawsuit has the potential to be a journalistic bonanza allowing the Times to dig deeply into Trump’s shady past. This is because the sure-fire way to win a defamation case is to prove what is claimed to be defamatory is in fact true." Should the Times pursue a truth defense, then they would have "enormous leverage" to go through Trump's entire life as part of creating their defense, according to Akerman.
He continued, "Despite Trump’s claim for an exorbitant $15 billion in damages, the Times has enormous leverage in pursuing its truth defense. Trump’s allegations of defamation are so broad that he has opened up his entire life to scrutiny. In defending Trump’s lawsuit, the Times and the other defendants have the right to take testimony and demand documents not only from Trump but also from third parties. The possibilities here are endless."
In taking The New York Times to court over the alleged defamation of a 2024 article titled 'For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandal Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment', Trump has opened the door to his personal life, according to Akerman.
He explained, "This alleged defamation gives the Times carte blanche to dig up every Trump scandal. Notably, this could include scandals not yet explained." Akerman cited the Maison de L'Amitié purchase Trump made in 2004 for $41.35million, which he then sold at double the price in 2008, as one such moment that could be looked into.