David Smith, the pro-MAGA chairman of Sinclair, threatened to sue Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) in what Semafor called a "remarkable" move, after Moore accused him of having ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Moore made the comment on June 16 on MS NOW's The Weeknight while defending himself against The Baltimore Sun's investigation into his military record.
"I can say what they're doing right now, when we watch how the Baltimore Sun was bought by a MAGA billionaire who has openly said, and not my words, his words, that he believes that the job of the Sun is to do Donald Trump's work," said Moore. "This is a person who was invested in by Jeffrey Epstein, who now bought the Baltimore Sun and is now using the Baltimore Sun to, as he says, to do Donald Trump's work and to spread his message."
Smith bought the Sun in 2024 and has personally directed its reporting on Moore, Semafor reported earlier this year.
The governor's remarks seemed to hit a nerve, as in June the billionaire's attorney, Harold Walter, sent Moore's office a letter demanding "a clear, unequivocal public retraction and correction," Semafor reported this week.
Walter also demanded Moore identify "the factual basis (if any)" for the claim and asked his team to preserve documents related to Smith and Epstein.
"A false assertion of this nature linking an individual to Mr. Epstein's financial dealings is of a kind that foreseeably subjects that individual to serious reputational harm, including public contempt and scorn, diminished business relationships, and damage to personal and professional standing," the letter reportedly said.
Epstein's funds had owned several hundred thousand dollars in Sinclair stock while Smith served as chairman and CEO, Moore's attorney told Semafor.
"The statement made by Governor Moore is absolutely and indisputably true and, therefore, your assertion that the statement is defamatory is meritless," Moore's attorney Joseph Sandler said in a letter first shared with Semafor.
Semafor reporter Max Tani called Smith's June letter "a remarkable move from the owner of a media company," noting that media companies are typically on the receiving end of defamation claims and that by threatening one, Smith risks setting a precedent that could later be used against his own outlets.
Former Trump adviser Jared Kushner boasted that the 2016 Trump campaign had struck a deal with Sinclair, trading access to Donald Trump for favorable coverage.
Smith personally told Trump in 2016 that Sinclair was "here to deliver your message."
