Trump may regret WSJ lawsuit that will likely be ‘dismissed right away’: ex-prosecutor

Former prosecutor and legal analyst Shanlon Wu said President Donald Trump may end up regretting his $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over its bombshell report as the president may be forced to divulge more details about his personal relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

“He is the one with the burden of proof, he has to sit through the depositions, (and) he'll have to sit there and talk about his relationship with Epstein,” Wu said, speaking on CNN Saturday. “I would kind of doubt he wants to go through that.”

Trump is now embroiled in a legal battle with the WSJ for its report this week revealing new details about the president’s past relationship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 under mysterious circumstances awaiting trial on human trafficking charges. In the report, the publication details a bawdy letter and drawing sent to Epstein from Trump that suggests the two’s relationship was closer than Trump has claimed.

Trump has denied the authenticity of the letter, and is now pursuing libel charges against the WSJ. Beyond being forced to participate in court proceedings that would likely involve Trump being questioned further about his relationship with Epstein under deposition, Wu also said that the case likely doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on.

“It stands a really poor chance in court, I think the legal standard is going to be actual malice, meaning the plaintiff, Trump, has to show that the WSJ knew it was all false and published it anyway, or, they acted with reckless disregard (and) didn't bother to do even rudimentary fact checking,” he said.

“The thing is with Trump though, the legal standards don't seem to matter to him and his legal team very much. As a legal matter, ridiculous lawsuit, should get dismissed right away.”

Evidence exists that Trump and Epstein frequently socialized together in the 1990s in both Palm Beach, Florida, and New York City. Trump also flew on Epstein’s private jet several times, with Epstein calling Trump his “closest friend for ten years” in 2017, two years before his death.

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