Baltimore Sun owner David Smith has threatened Maryland Governor Wes Moore with a defamation lawsuit over remarks Moore made that linked Smith to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Smith, who is also the executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group, sent a letter demanding Moore retract his statements or provide a factual basis for them.
Moore's personal attorney, Joseph Sandler, rejected the demand, stating that the governor's comments were true. Sandler asserted that Epstein's funds had held investments in Sinclair Broadcast Group during periods when Smith served as chairman and CEO. Specifically, Sandler cited Justice Department records indicating that Epstein-founded Financial Trust Company held Sinclair investments valued between $156,240 and $373,980 in 2001 and 2002. Additionally, another Epstein-founded company, Southern Trust Company, reportedly invested over $100,000 in Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2013 through Southern Financial LLC.
Sandler clarified that Moore did not claim Epstein invested directly in Smith but rather that Smith "was invested in by Jeffrey Epstein." The attorney noted that these investments occurred while Smith held leadership positions at Sinclair. The Baltimore Sun was personally purchased by Smith in 2024.
Moore made the disputed remarks during an appearance on MS NOW's "The Weeknight," where he accused The Baltimore Sun of engaging in slander and misinformation rather than journalism. This exchange followed months of reporting by The Baltimore Sun and Sinclair-affiliated journalists that examined Moore's military service and biographical details. According to a previous report by Semafor, Smith was included on emails from reporters investigating the governor, a practice the outlet described as unusual given the typical separation between newspaper ownership and editorial operations.
Moore also criticized the direction of the newspaper in an interview with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, stating, "It’s now become the paper of the right wing." Earlier reporting had questioned Moore's military biography, including his listing of a Bronze Star on a 2006 White House fellowship application before he had received the award. Moore attributed this to an honest mistake, and he was awarded the medal in 2024 after his former commander resubmitted the paperwork.
Smith's attorney, Harold Walter, had previously warned Moore in a June letter that a false assertion linking an individual to Epstein's financial dealings could foreseeably cause serious reputational harm. Walter demanded a "clear, unequivocal public retraction and correction" and instructed Moore's team to preserve documents related to Smith and any purported Epstein connection.
Sandler also confirmed that Moore's team was preserving evidence and demanded that Smith preserve records related to any efforts to "attack or encourage attacks on Governor Moore." As of Wednesday, no lawsuit had been officially filed, and the situation remained at the demand-letter stage.