Lawyers for The Wall Street Journal have asked a US judge to dismiss President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit over the paper’s reporting on an alleged birthday letter he wrote to Jeffrey Epstein, calling the case “an affront to the First Amendment” and a meritless attempt to silence critical coverage.

WSJ had reported in July that Trump’s name appeared on a 2003 birthday greeting for Epstein, a convicted sex offender. The letter, allegedly signed by Trump, included a sexually suggestive sketch and the message: “may every day be another wonderful secret.”

The document was later shared with members of Congress by Epstein’s estate and released by the House Oversight Committee.

Trump has repeatedly denied writing the note, insisted the signature is not his, and called the article “false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS.” His lawsuit contends that “no authentic letter or drawing exists.”

In their Monday filing, attorneys for WSJ, its parent companies, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch argued the president’s claims “do not include a single plausible allegation” that the newspaper knowingly published false information.

“The Article is true,” they wrote, adding that the evidence is publicly available.

“This case calls out for dismissal,” the lawyers continued, warning it threatens free speech. “By its very nature, this meritless lawsuit threatens to silence a newspaper for publishing speech that was subsequently proven true by documents released by Congress to the American public.”

They further argued that Trump cannot claim reputational harm from the letter’s “bawdy” contents, citing his past comments about women, including those on the Access Hollywood tape.

“Any allegation that President Trump wrote a bawdy birthday note is thus consistent with his public reputation — which he has himself acknowledged — for using ‘locker room’ talk and does not plausibly state any harm,” the filing said.

“There is nothing defamatory about a person sending a bawdy note to a friend, and the article cannot damage plaintiff’s reputation as a matter of law,” WSJ’s attorneys wrote, underscoring that the report included Trump’s denial and was consistent with the letter later released by Congress.

Trump’s lawsuit comes amid heightened scrutiny of his administration’s handling of the so-called “Epstein files.”

Earlier this year, the Justice Department said there was “no basis” to release additional documents, prompting criticism from Democrats.

At congressional hearings, FBI Director Kash Patel was pressed on whether he would investigate the Epstein estate for allegedly circulating a forged letter with Trump’s signature.

Patel responded that he would “look into it.”

This case is one of several defamation suits Trump has filed against major media outlets.

Last week, a federal judge dismissed his $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times, calling the claims “decidedly improper and impermissible.”

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping recruit and groom victims.