But as photos and social media posts surfaced showing Sanford in a camouflage Trump 2020 shirt that read “Make Liberals Cry Again,” and a Trump-Pence sign still visible on his front lawn just months ago, the political implications became harder to ignore.
So far, Republican leaders have said nothing.
The motion to dismiss began on Monday by calling Trump's suit a "serious" threat to the First Amendment and an attack on "true" reporting, as demonstrated by the Epstein estate and the "Birthday Book" that was handed over to the House Oversight Committee.
"First, the Article is true. The Birthday Book as produced by the Epstein estate and later publicly released by the House Oversight Committee contains a letter identical to the one described in the Article," court documents said.
As Law&Crime reported earlier this month, the release of the image that sparked Trump's lawsuit was significant for the Journal's defense precisely because the truth is what's at issue in a defamation action.