Trump wants expedited deposition from Rupert Murdoch in Epstein case

U.S President Donald Trump has asked the court to force Rupert Murdoch to expedite his disposition in Trump's lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal for their reporting on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Monday's court filing requested that Murdoch give his testimony within 15 days over concerns for the 94-year-old media mogul's ill health and age.

“Taken together, these factors weigh heavily in determining that Murdoch would be unavailable for in-person testimony at trial,” the court filing said.

Trump sued the Journal on July 18 for its article tying the Republican President to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and alleged child sex trafficker who died in a New York jail in 2019 before trial.

The Journal's reporting prompted major public backlash after alleging that Trump had sent a 'bawdy' letter to Epstein for his birthday in 2003.

Trump claims that he reached out to Murdoch before the article was published to say that the letter was fake, for which the WSJ-owner allegedly replied that "he would take of it".

Pressure has been mounting on the President from his voter base, who have demanded full transparency in the Epstein case, including an alleged 'client list' which some claim has Trump's name on it.

Trump has attempted to distract from the topic by releasing several files on unrelated cases, such as the assassination of Martin Luther King, and attacking political rivals such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, accusing them of "treason" without providing evidence.