Conservative media baron Rupert Murdoch will give President Donald Trump regular updates on his health as part of an agreement to postpone Murdoch’s deposition in Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against him over a Wall Street Journal article about late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The unusual stipulation comes a week after Trump’s lawyers sought a quick deposition in the case. Their filing in Miami federal court implied that Murdoch might be either dead or too sick to testify in person by the time the case went to trial.
“Murdoch is 94 years old, has suffered from multiple health issues throughout his life, is believed to have suffered recent significant health scares, and is presumed to live in New York, New York,” Trump’s lawyers said in their filing last week.
Murdoch’ agreement to divulge highly personal information about his health to Trump and his lawyers contrasts sharply with the cozy relationship Murdoch’s Fox News has had with the president over the years.
Fox News for more than a decade has acted as a cheerleader for Trump and his policies. The president is an avid watcher of the conservative network, and several of his key administration officials have worked for Fox. Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, currently has a show on Fox News.
