Newsweek: Ghislaine Maxwell Holds the Key to Trump’s Murdoch Lawsuit—and Her Jail Cell
Newsweek
Ghislaine Maxwell Holds the Key to Trump’s Murdoch Lawsuit—and Her Jail Cell | Opinion
Thomas Moukawsher
Published
Aug 11, 2025 at 12:00 PM EDT
In case you haven’t noticed, there is nothing more important to President Donald Trump than enriching himself. The uproar over releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files may have angered some of his base, but, remember, Trump has been covered with scandal his entire life, and it hasn’t held him back. So, if you think that the only thing Trump wants from Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell is for her to say Trump’s friendship with Epstein was only a matter of their common interest in Rococo decoration, you’d be wrong.
Sure, she will say something like this, but Maxwell can also put money in Trump’s pocket. In the end, that will matter more to him. Here’s how she’ll do it.
Trump has sued media titan Rupert Murdoch and others because his newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, published a bawdy letter it said Trump sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday. According to the Journal article, Trump’s letter was part of an album Maxwell assembled containing notes from Epstein’s friends. To authenticate Trump’s note and the obscene drawing that accompanied it, Journal reporters claim to have seen the album and talked to people knowledgeable about it.
But Trump emphatically denies ever writing the note, including its wish for Epstein that “may every day be another wonderful secret.” He sued Murdoch and the others for defaming him—for publishing false and damaging statements about him with intent to harm his reputation. Murdoch and his fellow defendants want the case dismissed. They certainly have powerful First Amendment free speech claims to make, but they may not get an exoneration so easily. Trump may be able to drag Murdoch and his empire through the mud for a while before there’s any decision about whether The Wall Street Journal was telling the truth.
On that score, Maxwell may hold the key. It would be one thing if the Journal had incontestable evidence that Trump wrote the letter. Murdoch and the newspaper might win a quick judgment if that were the case, but Maxwell could block that by aiding Trump. Without a quick win, Murdoch and company will face the ugly business of the evidence gathering process known as discovery.
Trump will demand to pry into the inner workers of the Murdoch empire. He will seek mountains of documents, pose endless written questions, and demand pre-trial testimony from a parade of witnesses. Too often judges don’t adequately police the discovery process, and it leads to endless fights, expenses, and for Murdoch, unwelcome publicity for his personal and business life.
Maxwell’s course to help give Trump his chance to engage in this torment is simple. Remember, Trump has no case if it turns out he wrote the licentious letter. All Maxwell has to say is that she assembled the album and doesn’t recall any letter in it from Donald Trump. In the world of Trump bribery, this should be worth a commutation—a shortening—of her sentence. For a pardon, she would do better to say that she specifically recalls that Trump did not send a greeting and that the two former friends fell out because Trump felt there was something fishy about Epstein.
Wait for it. It’s coming. If it wasn’t discussed between Maxwell and Trump’s personal lawyer and now Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche during their recent long interview together, Maxwell probably doesn’t need to be told what to do about it. After all, she has already received an incentive having been moved to a comfier prison.
Sadly, each new Trump bribery nightmare seems to keep coming true. Some hoped he really wouldn’t accept the $400 million plane from Qatar, until he did. Some thought maybe CBS would show some backbone when Trump sued it, until it didn’t.
And now here’s the scariest thought of all. If Trump can keep his lawsuit in court and Maxwell in his pocket, Trump’s Wall Street Journal lawsuit might prove to be his biggest payoff of all. Why not? Murdoch also owns Fox News. He has been Trump’s biggest booster in the past, so why shouldn’t Murdoch be glad if Trump’s lawsuit stays in court? It becomes a perfect way for Murdoch to willingly give Trump what he wants more than anything else—money.
Thomas G. Moukawsher is a former Connecticut complex litigation judge and a former co-chair of the American Bar Association Committee on Employee Benefits. He is the author of the book, The Common Flaw: Needless Complexity in the Courts and 50 Ways to Reduce It.