NEW YORK —The Wall Street Journal asked a U.S. judge on Monday to dismiss President Donald Trump’s lawsuit alleging the paper defamed him in a July 17 article asserting Trump’s name was on a 2003 birthday greeting for the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling the case a threat to freedom of speech.

“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.

A 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 Democrat

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