David Smith, the owner of The Baltimore Sun and executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group, threatened Wednesday to sue Maryland Gov.Wes Moore for defamation over remarks Moore made on MS NOW linking Smith to Jeffrey Epstein, escalating a dispute over the newspaper's reporting on the Democratic governor's military record."A false assertion of this nature linking an individual to Mr.
Epstein’s financial dealings is of a kind that foreseeably subjects that individual to serious reputational harm, including public contempt and scorn, diminished business relationships, and damage to personal and professional standing," Smith’s lawyer wrote.Attorney Harold Walter made the warning in a June letter obtained by Semafor, which first reported the threatened lawsuit.Walter demanded that Moore retract and correct his remarks or explain their factual basis and instructed the governor's team to preserve documents concerning Smith and any purported Epstein connection.Maryland Gov.
Wes Moore is facing a threatened defamation lawsuit over remarks linking Baltimore Sun owner David Smith to Jeffrey Epstein.(Getty Images)‘LIBELOUS’ NYT REPORT TYING TRUMP FAMILY TO GOVERNMENT-BACKED DEAL SPARKS LEGAL DEMAND"The governor should issue a ‘clear, unequivocal public retraction and correction,’" the letter said.Walter also demanded that Moore publicly retract the claim or provide evidence supporting it."Identify, at least at a high level, the factual basis (if any) on which you relied in making the statement," the letter said.Moore's team rejected the demand and told Semafor that the governor stood by his comments.
Joseph Sandler, Moore's personal attorney, responded Tuesday that Epstein's funds had owned several hundred thousand dollars' worth of investments in Sinclair while Smith served as chairman and CEO.David Smith’s attorney demanded that Moore retract his comments or identify the factual basis for connecting Smith to Epstein’s financial dealings.(Yuri Gripas/Ab...