Donald Trump was told by a federal judge that he was 'grasping at straws' as he threw out the President's $10billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over his alleged 'birthday card' to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump had sued the paper and media mogul Rupert Murdoch after it published a letter last year, allegedly signed by the President and featuring a lewd drawing with the message: 'May every day be another wonderful secret.'
US District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami dismissed the suit with prejudice, ruling that the president did not prove the defendants made defamatory statements with actual malice as required by law.
The ruling said the lawsuit had attempted to 'manufacture' flaws in the Journal´s investigative reporting.
When a case is thrown out 'with prejudice,' it cannot be refiled again and the dismissal is permanent and incontrovertible.
A spokesperson for Dow Jones, which owns the Wall Street Journal, told The Daily Mail: 'We're pleased with the court's decision.'
Meanwhile, when reached by The Daily Mail, a spokesman for President Trump's legal team said the President intends to appeal the ruling.
'President Trump will continue to press forward in his powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other defendants. The President will continue to hold those who mislead the American People with Fake News and smears accountable for their actions.'
Donald Trump was told by a federal judge that he was 'grasping at straws' as he threw out the President's $10billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over his alleged 'birthday card' to Jeffrey Epstein
The paper published a letter allegedly penned from Trump to Epstein in 2003, for the late sex offender's 50th birthday. Trump denied signing and sending it.
The dismissal is a blow to Trump and his administration, which have both pursued adversarial relationships with news organizations during his second term.
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In addition to the Journal, Trump is embroiled in lawsuits involving the BBC, The Associated Press and - most recently - CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which are suing him for restored access after he banished them from the White House in mid-September.
Trump has denounced media outlets that write things to which he objects and frequently calls them 'fake news' and insults their journalists.
The lawsuit against the Journal was over a story it published last year describing a sexually suggestive letter and drawing that the paper said bore Trump´s name and was included in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein´s 50th birthday.
The letter was reportedly collected by disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell as part of a birthday album for Epstein years before he was first arrested in 2006 and subsequently had a falling-out with Trump.
'We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,' the letter says, adding, 'A pal is a wonderful thing.'
The note was written in what appears to be the outline of a woman's body and ends with, 'Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret,' according to the newspaper.
Trump denied writing it and called the story 'false, malicious, and defamatory.'
The dismissal is a blow to Trump and his administration, which have both pursued adversarial relationships with news organizations during his second term
When the letter was first published the administration pushed back on its legitimacy.
'The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal proves this entire 'Birthday Card' story is false,' White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on X. 'As I have said all along, it's very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.'
'President Trump's legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation,' her statement continued, lambasting the reporter for publishing 'fake news' about the 'Democrat Epstein Hoax!'
The famed birthday book is reportedly a compilation of messages collected by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell for his 50th birthday.
She collected and scanned the materials and bound them into an album she gave to Epstein for his birthday in 2003. Many big names wrote messages to Epstein for his birthday, according to multiple reporters who have allegedly viewed the binder.
Reports also indicate that the book contained a handwritten note from former President Bill Clinton, who had a social and professional relationship with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, accused the paper and its reporters of having 'knowingly and recklessly' published 'numerous false, defamatory, and disparaging statements,' which, it alleged, caused 'overwhelming financial and reputational harm' to the president.
Judge Gayles previously dismissed the suit in April, saying Trump had failed to make the argument that the article was published with the intent to be malicious. But he gave the president a chance to file an amended complaint, which he did in May.
Former Executive Chairman of Fox Corp Rupert Murdoch was also sued by Trump
In Saturday's ruling, the judge cited the Supreme Court's landmark 1964 ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan.
That decision made it harder for public figures to win libel lawsuits because it requires proof that a media outlet knowingly published something false or showed a reckless disregard for the truth, an 'actual malice' standard.
'The Amended Complaint falls short of pleading actual malice,' Gayles wrote.
'Indeed, the allegations regarding malice are conclusory, vague, sometimes inconsistent with the Article, and often irrelevant to whether Defendants knew or should have known that the statements in the Article were purportedly false.'
The judge also noted that the Journal's story did not ignore or minimize Trump's denial, 'Rather, it informed readers that President Trump decried the Letter as a fake and denied writing it.'
Gayles also said several other allegations in the lawsuit did not have merit.
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