<p>特朗普总统正在起诉鲁珀特·默多克、道琼斯——《华尔街日报》的母公司——以及该报的两名记者，索赔 100 亿美元，原因是《华尔街日报》关于特朗普在 2003 年 allegedly 发送给已故性犯罪者杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的淫秽生日卡的报道。</p>
<p>特朗普声称，这张包含争议性言论的卡片是由未具名的民主党人伪造的。他在社交媒体上发布了关于 “对所有参与发布虚假、恶意、诽谤性、假新闻 ‘文章’ 的人的强大诉讼” 的内容，称《华尔街日报》是 “无用的 ‘小报’”。</p>
<p>多年来，默多克和特朗普的关系时好时坏。在 2016 年共和党初选期间，默多克的媒体机构，主要是《华尔街日报》和福克斯新闻，曾大力反对特朗普，但后来被认为帮助他进入白宫。</p>
<p>根据《华尔街日报》的报道，一封以特朗普名义署名的信 “包含几行打字文本，周围是一个裸体女性的轮廓，似乎是用粗重的马克笔手绘的。”</p>
<p>“在裸体女性的轮廓内有一段打字的便条，呈现为特朗普与爱泼斯坦之间的虚构对话，采用第三人称的写法，” 该报报道。</p>
<p>据报道，便条中包含一句玩笑话，称 “谜团永远不会老”，并以 “朋友是美好的事物。生日快乐——愿每一天都是另一个美好的秘密。” 结束。</p>
<p>在文章发布后，特朗普否认写过这段文字，表示：“这些不是我的话，不是我说话的方式。此外，我不画画。”</p>
<p>如果生日便条是真实的，这暗示特朗普当时对爱泼斯坦的犯罪行为有所了解——就像特朗普在不到一年前对记者的评论那样，他说爱泼斯坦 “喜欢美丽的女人，就像我一样，而且他们中的许多人都比较年轻。”</p>
<p>道琼斯表示将 “积极捍卫” 自己对这起诉讼的回应。“我们对我们报道的严谨性和准确性充满信心。” 因此，这个问题在法庭上以及公众舆论中都开始展开。</p>
<p>诽谤诉讼历史上对被告和原告来说都极具风险。这类诉讼往往只会放大所谓的诽谤性言论。</p>
<p>罗伊·科恩曾建议他的客户永远不要起诉诽谤。他知道奥斯卡·王尔德和阿尔杰·希斯都曾起诉诽谤，而真相——在诽谤诉讼中始终是一个完整的辩护理由——导致了刑事起诉、定罪和入狱。威廉·韦斯特摩兰将军因关于他在越南战争中的行为的诽谤性言论起诉 CBS。以色列将军阿里尔·沙龙因《时代》杂志关于他在黎巴嫩的行为的报道起诉该杂志。两者的结果基本上都是空手而归。</p>
<p>特朗普在对默多克的诉讼中将面临巨大的挑战。尽管克拉伦斯·托马斯法官表示希望推翻《纽约时报诉沙利文案》（1964），但这一判例仍然有效。公共官员起诉诽谤必须通过明确和令人信服的证据证明，诽谤性言论是在实际知道其虚假或对真相的鲁莽漠视下发布的。</p>
<p>在这种情况下，我们讨论的是《华尔街日报》，而不是《国家询问者》。《华尔街日报》很可能并不知道生日卡是伪造的，或者他们在知道文件来源不可靠的情况下鲁莽行事。更有可能的是，这份文件来自司法部的档案。</p>
<p>事实上，特朗普除了对默多克进行反击外，可能主要是为了通过发现程序揭露泄密的来源。特朗普声称他很享受此案中的发现程序。“我希望鲁珀特和他的 ‘朋友们’ 期待在此案中需要提供的许多小时的证词和证言，” 总统表示。特朗普的律师已请求法院加快对默多克的证言，因为默多克 “94 岁了”，并且 “遭受过多次健康问题。”</p>
<p>但这些 “许多小时” 可能对特朗普来说弊大于利。默多克的律师将能够揭示《华尔街日报》从何处获得生日卡，以及爱泼斯坦与特朗普之间 15 年关系的所有细节，包括诸如友谊是如何开始的；关系有多亲密；是否涉及未成年女性；特朗普何时得知爱泼斯坦在贩卖青少年；特朗普何时得知爱泼斯坦从事犯罪行为；以及何时结束关系及原因。</p>
<p>有报道称，特朗普和爱泼斯坦在 2004 年因对一处棕榈滩豪宅的竞争出价而产生了裂痕，但故事可能还有更多。佩吉·努南提醒我们，特朗普的座右铭是 “战斗，战斗，战斗”，即使这会伤害到他，他也会这样做。“这起诉讼绝对不会对他产生净积极的影响。他肯定知道这一点，” 她写道。“他即使会伤害自己也要战斗，因为战斗就是一切。”</p>
<p>特朗普在本质上是免于诽谤的。他的损害是什么？他性行为不端的声誉是众所周知的。纽约的民事陪审团裁定他在一家百货商店的试衣间内性侵作家 E·简·卡罗尔。纽约陪审团以 34 项重罪伪造文件罪判定他有罪，以掩盖与色情电影女演员斯托米·丹尼尔斯的私情。</p>
<p>现在下结论还为时尚早，但特朗普可能不会像他最近的媒体诉讼那样轻松。他在连任后不久与 ABC 达成了 1500 万美元的和解，原因是乔治·斯特凡诺普洛斯不小心说特朗普被定罪为强奸，而不是性侵犯。特朗普最近与 CBS 达成了 1600 万美元的和解，原因是 “60 分钟” 节目将前副总统卡马拉·哈里斯的不利镜头剪掉，这似乎更多是受到母公司派拉蒙对其企业合并获得 FCC 批准的需求的影响，而不是案件本身的优劣。</p>
<p>如果继续推进，默多克的诽谤诉讼可能会给特朗普带来许多陷阱和惊喜。这可能导致司法部持有的许多文件被披露，《华尔街日报》随后报道这些文件中充满了对特朗普本人的提及。</p>
<p>知情人士告诉我，默多克绝不会和解。但他似乎在周五的《华尔街日报》头版 “独家” 文章中稍微让步，标题为：“杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的生日书中包含比尔·克林顿和莱昂·布莱克的信件。”</p>
<p>这篇文章的信息量极其有限。</p>
<p><em>詹姆斯·D·齐林，作家和法律分析师，曾是纽约南区的联邦检察官。他还是公共电视谈话节目和播客</em> <em>与詹姆斯·齐林的对话_的主持人。</em></p>

特朗普媒体科技集团

<p>特朗普总统正在起诉鲁珀特·默多克和《华尔街日报》，索赔 100 亿美元，原因是该报报道了他在 2003 年 allegedly 发送给杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的生日卡。特朗普声称这张卡是由民主党人伪造的。此诉讼引发了关于特朗普与爱泼斯坦过去关系以及卡片真实性的问题。道琼斯计划积极为自己辩护，表示对其报道的信心。法律专家警告称，诽谤诉讼可能适得其反，可能揭露出更多对原告不利的信息</p>

<p>President Trump is suing Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones — the Wall Street Journal’s parent company — and two of the paper’s reporters for $10 billion over the Journal’s story about a lurid birthday card that Trump allegedly sent to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>特朗普总统正在起诉鲁珀特·默多克、道琼斯——《华尔街日报》的母公司——以及该报的两名记者，索赔 100 亿美元，原因是《华尔街日报》关于特朗普在 2003 年 allegedly 发送给已故性犯罪者杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的淫秽生日卡的报道。</p>
</div><p>Trump claims that the card, which contains arguably compromising statements, was fabricated by unnamed Democrats. He posted about “a POWERHOUSE Lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is, The Wall Street Journal.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>特朗普声称，这张包含争议性言论的卡片是由未具名的民主党人伪造的。他在社交媒体上发布了关于 “对所有参与发布虚假、恶意、诽谤性、假新闻 ‘文章’ 的人的强大诉讼” 的内容，称《华尔街日报》是 “无用的 ‘小报’”。</p>
</div><p>Murdoch and Trump have had an off-again-on-again relationship over the years. Murdoch’s media outlets, principally the Journal and Fox News, after largely opposing Trump during the 2016 Republican primary, have been credited with helping propel him to the White House.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>多年来，默多克和特朗普的关系时好时坏。在 2016 年共和党初选期间，默多克的媒体机构，主要是《华尔街日报》和福克斯新闻，曾大力反对特朗普，但后来被认为帮助他进入白宫。</p>
</div><p>According to the Journal’s story, a letter bearing Trump’s name “contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>根据《华尔街日报》的报道，一封以特朗普名义署名的信 “包含几行打字文本，周围是一个裸体女性的轮廓，似乎是用粗重的马克笔手绘的。”</p>
</div><p>“Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person,” the paper reported.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>“在裸体女性的轮廓内有一段打字的便条，呈现为特朗普与爱泼斯坦之间的虚构对话，采用第三人称的写法，” 该报报道。</p>
</div><p>It reportedly contained a joking reference that “enigmas never age” and ended with the words, “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>据报道，便条中包含一句玩笑话，称 “谜团永远不会老”，并以 “朋友是美好的事物。生日快乐——愿每一天都是另一个美好的秘密。” 结束。</p>
</div><p>Trump denied writing the note after the article was published, posting, “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>在文章发布后，特朗普否认写过这段文字，表示：“这些不是我的话，不是我说话的方式。此外，我不画画。”</p>
</div><p>The birthday note, if authentic, hints at Trump’s contemporaneous awareness of Epstein’s criminal behavior — as might Trump’s comment to a reporter less than a year earlier that Epstein “likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>如果生日便条是真实的，这暗示特朗普当时对爱泼斯坦的犯罪行为有所了解——就像特朗普在不到一年前对记者的评论那样，他说爱泼斯坦 “喜欢美丽的女人，就像我一样，而且他们中的许多人都比较年轻。”</p>
</div><p>Dow Jones said it would “vigorously defend” itself against the lawsuit. “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting.” And so the issue is joined in court as well as the court of public opinion.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>道琼斯表示将 “积极捍卫” 自己对这起诉讼的回应。“我们对我们报道的严谨性和准确性充满信心。” 因此，这个问题在法庭上以及公众舆论中都开始展开。</p>
</div><p>Libel suits have historically been gravely dangerous not only for defendants but for plaintiffs as well. Such a suit often serves only to magnify the allegedly defamatory statements.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>诽谤诉讼历史上对被告和原告来说都极具风险。这类诉讼往往只会放大所谓的诽谤性言论。</p>
</div><p>Roy Cohn advised his clients never to sue for libel. He knew that Oscar Wilde and Alger Hiss sued for libel, and the truth, which is always a complete defense in a libel suit, led to criminal prosecution, conviction and jail. Gen. William Westmoreland sued CBS over defamatory statements about his conduct of the Vietnam War. Israeli Gen. Ariel Sharon sued Time Inc. over its reporting about his actions in Lebanon. Both came up essentially empty-handed.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>罗伊·科恩曾建议他的客户永远不要起诉诽谤。他知道奥斯卡·王尔德和阿尔杰·希斯都曾起诉诽谤，而真相——在诽谤诉讼中始终是一个完整的辩护理由——导致了刑事起诉、定罪和入狱。威廉·韦斯特摩兰将军因关于他在越南战争中的行为的诽谤性言论起诉 CBS。以色列将军阿里尔·沙龙因《时代》杂志关于他在黎巴嫩的行为的报道起诉该杂志。两者的结果基本上都是空手而归。</p>
</div><p>Trump will have a steep uphill climb to make out his complaint against Murdoch. The venerable New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) is still good law, despite Justice Clarence Thomas’s stated desire to overrule it. A public official suing for libel must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the defamatory statements were published with actual knowledge of their falsity or a reckless disregard for the truth.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>特朗普在对默多克的诉讼中将面临巨大的挑战。尽管克拉伦斯·托马斯法官表示希望推翻《纽约时报诉沙利文案》（1964），但这一判例仍然有效。公共官员起诉诽谤必须通过明确和令人信服的证据证明，诽谤性言论是在实际知道其虚假或对真相的鲁莽漠视下发布的。</p>
</div><p>In this case, we are talking about the Wall Street Journal, not the National Enquirer. It is very unlikely that the Journal knew the birthday card was a fabrication or that they proceeded recklessly, knowing that the source of the document was unreliable. More likely than not, the document came from the files of the Justice Department.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>在这种情况下，我们讨论的是《华尔街日报》，而不是《国家询问者》。《华尔街日报》很可能并不知道生日卡是伪造的，或者他们在知道文件来源不可靠的情况下鲁莽行事。更有可能的是，这份文件来自司法部的档案。</p>
</div><p>Indeed, Trump, apart from lashing back at Murdoch, may have sued mainly to unearth via discovery the source of the leak. Trump claims that he relishes discovery in the case. “I hope Rupert and his ‘friends’ are looking forward to the many hours of depositions and testimonies they will have to provide in this case,” the president stated. Trump’s lawyers have asked the court to expedite Murdoch’s deposition while he is still alive because Murdoch is “94 years old” and “has suffered from multiple health issues.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>事实上，特朗普除了对默多克进行反击外，可能主要是为了通过发现程序揭露泄密的来源。特朗普声称他很享受此案中的发现程序。“我希望鲁珀特和他的 ‘朋友们’ 期待在此案中需要提供的许多小时的证词和证言，” 总统表示。特朗普的律师已请求法院加快对默多克的证言，因为默多克 “94 岁了”，并且 “遭受过多次健康问题。”</p>
</div><p>But those “many hours” may prove more harmful than helpful to Trump. Murdoch’s lawyers will be able to bring out just where the Journal obtained the birthday card, as well as all the torrid details of the 15-year relationship between Epstein and Trump, including such undisclosed gems as how the friendship began; how close was it; whether it involved under-age women; whether, and, if so, when Trump learned that Epstein was trafficking teenagers; when Trump learned that Epstein was engaged in criminal acts; and when there was a severance of the relationship and why.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>但这些 “许多小时” 可能对特朗普来说弊大于利。默多克的律师将能够揭示《华尔街日报》从何处获得生日卡，以及爱泼斯坦与特朗普之间 15 年关系的所有细节，包括诸如友谊是如何开始的；关系有多亲密；是否涉及未成年女性；特朗普何时得知爱泼斯坦在贩卖青少年；特朗普何时得知爱泼斯坦从事犯罪行为；以及何时结束关系及原因。</p>
</div><p>Reports have suggested Trump and Epstein had a rift in 2004 over competing bids on a Palm Beach mansion, but there may be more to the story. Peggy Noonan reminds us that Trump’s mantra is “fight, fight, fight,” and he will do so even when it hurts him. “There is no way on earth that [the lawsuit] will be a net positive for him. Which surely he knows,” she writes. “He fights even when he will hurt himself, because the fight is all.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>有报道称，特朗普和爱泼斯坦在 2004 年因对一处棕榈滩豪宅的竞争出价而产生了裂痕，但故事可能还有更多。佩吉·努南提醒我们，特朗普的座右铭是 “战斗，战斗，战斗”，即使这会伤害到他，他也会这样做。“这起诉讼绝对不会对他产生净积极的影响。他肯定知道这一点，” 她写道。“他即使会伤害自己也要战斗，因为战斗就是一切。”</p>
</div><p>Trump is essentially libel-proof. What are his damages? His reputation for sexual misconduct is well known. A civil jury in New York found him liably for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room. A New York jury convicted him of 34 counts of felony document falsification to cover up a tryst with pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>特朗普在本质上是免于诽谤的。他的损害是什么？他性行为不端的声誉是众所周知的。纽约的民事陪审团裁定他在一家百货商店的试衣间内性侵作家 E·简·卡罗尔。纽约陪审团以 34 项重罪伪造文件罪判定他有罪，以掩盖与色情电影女演员斯托米·丹尼尔斯的私情。</p>
</div><p>It is too early to tell, but Trump may not have the sort of walk in the park he’s had in his recent media lawsuits. He settled with ABC shortly after his reelection for $15 million, arising from George Stephanopoulos carelessly saying Trump was convicted of rape instead of sexual assault. Trump’s recent settlement with CBS for $16 million, arising out of the claim that “60 Minutes” left unfavorable footage of former Vice President Kamala Harris on the cutting-room floor, seemed influenced more by parent company Paramount’s need for FCC approval of its corporate merger than by the merits of the case.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>现在下结论还为时尚早，但特朗普可能不会像他最近的媒体诉讼那样轻松。他在连任后不久与 ABC 达成了 1500 万美元的和解，原因是乔治·斯特凡诺普洛斯不小心说特朗普被定罪为强奸，而不是性侵犯。特朗普最近与 CBS 达成了 1600 万美元的和解，原因是 “60 分钟” 节目将前副总统卡马拉·哈里斯的不利镜头剪掉，这似乎更多是受到母公司派拉蒙对其企业合并获得 FCC 批准的需求的影响，而不是案件本身的优劣。</p>
</div><p>The Murdoch libel lawsuit, if pressed, may be full of booby traps and surprises for Trump. It could result in disclosure of many of the documents in the possession of the Justice Department, which the Journal reported subsequently were riddled with references to Trump himself.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>如果继续推进，默多克的诽谤诉讼可能会给特朗普带来许多陷阱和惊喜。这可能导致司法部持有的许多文件被披露，《华尔街日报》随后报道这些文件中充满了对特朗普本人的提及。</p>
</div><p>People in a position to know tell me that Murdoch will never settle. But he did appear to blink a little with a front-page “exclusive” Journal article Friday under the headline: “Jeffrey Epstein’s Birthday Book Included Letters From Bill Clinton, Leon Black.”</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>知情人士告诉我，默多克绝不会和解。但他似乎在周五的《华尔街日报》头版 “独家” 文章中稍微让步，标题为：“杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的生日书中包含比尔·克林顿和莱昂·布莱克的信件。”</p>
</div><p>The article was singularly uninformative.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>这篇文章的信息量极其有限。</p>
</div><p><em>James D. Zirin, author and legal analyst, is a former federal prosecutor in New York’s Southern District. He is also the host of the public television talk show and podcast</em> <em>Conversations with Jim Zirin</em>.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p><em>詹姆斯·D·齐林，作家和法律分析师，曾是纽约南区的联邦检察官。他还是公共电视谈话节目和播客</em> <em>与詹姆斯·齐林的对话_的主持人。</em></p>
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特朗普可能会后悔他因爱泼斯坦的生日卡而对默多克提起诽谤诉讼