“This meritless lawsuit threatens to chill the speech of those who dare to publish content that the President does not like,” lawyers for the Journal and its billionaire owner Rupert Murdoch wrote in a court filing. The lawsuit is one of several Trump has filed in recent months against major media outlets over reporting he has characterised as unfair or false. Credit: Marija ErcegovacA White House spokesperson referred to Trump’s personal lawyers on the case, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump filed the lawsuit on July 18, as his administration faced criticism from its conservative base and congressional Democrats over its handling of the Epstein case. The Justice Department in early July said it would not make public files from its sex-trafficking investigation into Epstein, reneging on earlier promises from Trump and his allies to do so.