Judge in Trump Murdoch libel case handled lawsuit president dropped against Michael Cohen

President Donald Trump's caller $10 cardinal libel suit against media baron Rupert Murdoch implicit a Wall Street Journal nonfiction astir enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein volition beryllium handled by the aforesaid Florida national justice who presided implicit a anterior breach-of-contract suit Trump filed against his erstwhile idiosyncratic lawyer Michael Cohen.

Trump voluntarily dropped that $500 cardinal lawsuit against Cohen, which was filed successful U.S. District Court successful Miami successful 2023, soon aft Judge Darrin Gayles scheduled a deposition wherever Trump would person had to reply questions astir his allegations nether oath by Cohen's attorney.

The president's filing of the suit against Murdoch sets the signifier for Gayles to docket different deposition for Trump — and for Trump to measurement whether helium wants to reply questions nether oath from Murdoch's ineligible team.

Those questions could absorption connected Trump's past relationship with Epstein and his convicted procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell, and comments specified arsenic 1 Trump made successful 2002 to New York mag astir Epstein.

"He's a batch of amusive to beryllium with," Trump is quoted saying. "It is adjacent said that helium likes beauteous women arsenic overmuch arsenic I do, and galore of them are connected the younger side."

Gayles was randomly assigned arsenic the justice for Trump's caller suit connected Monday.

A erstwhile national authoritative whom then-President Barack Obama nominated to the seat successful 2014, Gayles became the archetypal openly cheery Black antheral to service arsenic a national justice aft the Senate confirmed him successful a 98-0 vote.

Cohen told CNBC connected Monday that adjacent if Gayles orders Trump to beryllium for a deposition for his suit against Murdoch, helium does not expect past to repetition itself.

In summation to Murdoch, Trump is suing his institution News Corp, its CEO Robert Thomson, the Journal's publisher, Dow Jones & Co., and the 2 reporters who wrote the nonfiction that said the president sent Epstein a "bawdy" day letter successful 2003.

Cohen, who fell retired with Trump years ago, said helium thinks the president volition prosecute the lawsuit — and that Murdoch volition cave.

"I foretell Murdoch, et al volition settee this substance successful the aforesaid mode that ABC and CBS did," Cohen said successful a substance message, referring to caller multi-million-dollar settlements Trump obtained from ABC and the genitor institution of CBS News aft suing those 2 quality organizations.

"Unlike the suit against me, this enactment has existent consequences: specified arsenic advertisers pulling distant from the paper oregon journalists being denied entree to the White House," Cohen said.

But Cohen's ain erstwhile idiosyncratic lawyer, Lanny Davis, told CNBC that helium thinks Trump volition voluntarily retreat his lawsuit against Murdoch and the others aft Gayles schedules a deposition for the president.

"If he's smart, adjacent if helium has thing to hide," Trump volition not taxable to a deposition, Davis predicted. "He doesn't privation this communicative to alienate his basal for the adjacent 2 years."

Trump sued Murdoch and the different defendants connected Friday, a time aft the Journal reported that a missive sent by Trump for Epstein's 50th day was among worldly reviewed by national investigators arsenic portion of a transgression probe of the notorious enactment offender.

Trump has angrily denied penning the letter.

The Journal's communicative was published arsenic Trump faced increasing unit to person the Justice Department merchandise investigatory files astir Epstein, a convicted enactment offender who killed himself successful 2019 aft being arrested connected kid enactment trafficking charges.

Trump had been friends with Epstein for years earlier the 2 men had a falling out, agelong earlier Epstein's 2019 arrest.

Davis compared filing a defamation lawsuit to submitting oneself to an invasive carnal examination.

"As a substance of situation management, what Trump has done is marque matters worse with some his basal and his critics, which is hard to do," Davis said.

"He's extended the story," Davis said. "If you record a lawsuit, it's the other of bully situation management, due to the fact that you're asking for much drip by drip stories, questioning you nether oath."

CNBC has requested remark from Dow Jones, which connected Friday showed nary motion of backing down from Trump aft helium filed his lawsuit.

"We person afloat assurance successful the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and volition vigorously support against immoderate lawsuit," the steadfast said astatine that time.

Trump, for his part, has suggested it is Murdoch who would person the astir to fearfulness from being deposed.

A spokesperson for Trump, erstwhile asked astir comments by Cohen and Davis connected Monday, directed CNBC to the president's societal media station past Friday.

"I anticipation Rupert and his 'friends' are looking guardant to the galore hours of depositions and testimonies they volition person to supply successful this case," Trump wrote successful that Truth Social post.