President Donald Trump has initiated a lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. This legal action comes just a day after the newspaper published a report detailing Trump's alleged connections to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Miami and seeks damages of at least $10 billion (£7.4 billion).

The controversy centres around a letter that the Journal claims was written by Trump and included in a birthday album for Epstein in 2003. Trump has vehemently denied authorship of the letter, labelling the report as "false, malicious, and defamatory." The letter, which reportedly features a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman, concludes with the phrase, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret."

This letter was allegedly collected by Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite who has faced legal troubles for her involvement with Epstein. The letter's existence has resurfaced amid ongoing scrutiny of Epstein's connections and the handling of related legal documents. Epstein, who was arrested in 2019, died in custody while awaiting trial.

In a related development, the US Justice Department has requested a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts from Epstein's case. This move follows criticism regarding the administration's management of records associated with Epstein. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has filed motions to unseal these transcripts, which would include testimony from witnesses and evidence presented during the grand jury proceedings.

The Justice Department has stated that it will ensure appropriate redactions are made to protect the identities of victims and sensitive information before any transcripts are released. Blanche emphasised, "Transparency in this process will not be at the expense of our obligation under the law to protect victims."

Despite the push for transparency, the administration has not indicated plans to release additional evidence related to Epstein. The initial disclosure of Epstein files in February had sparked outrage due to the lack of new information. A judge will need to approve the release of the grand jury transcripts, and the process is expected to be lengthy as it involves careful consideration of what can be made public.