CNN Host Blasts WSJ for Publishing Unverified Trump-Epstein Article [WATCH]

CNN host and nationally syndicated radio personality Michael Smerconish criticized the Wall Street Journal over its recent publication of a controversial report linking President Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, calling the outlet’s decision to publish the claims “questionable” given the lack of evidence.

President Trump has publicly rejected the report as false and announced legal action against the publication and its parent company.

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal published a story that included the transcript of a poem allegedly written by President Trump to Jeffrey Epstein as a birthday greeting.

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The letter, which the Journal reported on but did not publish, reportedly referenced “secrets” between the two men and included the line, “enigmas never age.”

The report also claimed that the note contained a hand-drawn image of a naked woman signed “Donald” across the waist.

The publication has faced mounting criticism for running the story without providing the actual letter or supporting documentation.

Critics have questioned the authenticity of the letter and noted the absence of linguistic consistency with Trump’s known communication style.

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According to The Federalist, there is no record of President Trump ever using the word “enigma” in decades of public statements and writings.

Smerconish, who has frequently criticized Trump in the past, joined others in expressing concern about the Journal’s decision to publish the story without substantiating the claims.

“Here’s what I think went on here. I’ll just cut to the chase. I think somebody leaked this birthday book to the Wall Street Journal with conditions,” Smerconish said during his CNN broadcast on Saturday.

“And by the way, we should find out who that leaker was if they’re in the government. Whatever you may think of Trump, whoever may have leaked information that’s in a DOJ file, we can’t have that,” he added.

Smerconish suggested the outlet may have received a summary of the letter under restricted terms.

“And you can then run with it. And then the Journal has a decision to make. Are we going to print something without being able to actually show it to the public?” he said.

“And they decided that they would. I don’t know that that was the right call.”

In a detailed statement on Truth Social, President Trump called the Journal’s story “fake” and confirmed that legal action was already underway.

He said the publication and its leadership had been directly informed that the letter was fabricated.

“The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued,” Trump wrote.

“Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so. The Editor of The Wall Street Journal, Emma Tucker, was told directly by Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE, but Emma Tucker didn’t want to hear that,” Trump continued.

“Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway. President Trump will be suing The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Mr. Murdoch, shortly.”

Donald J. Trump Truth Social 07.17.25 08:33 PM EST

The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued.…

— Fan Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 18, 2025

Trump followed up with another post, stating that his legal team plans to call Rupert Murdoch to testify in the legal proceedings related to the defamation suit.

The Wall Street Journal has not yet publicly released the alleged letter or responded directly to the criticisms raised by Smerconish and others.

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