Overview
- Gov. Wes Moore said on MS NOW that David Smith “was invested in by Jeffrey Epstein,” a remark that set off a legal dispute over the accuracy of the claim.
- On June 29 a lawyer for Smith demanded a public retraction and reserved the right to sue for defamation, and Moore’s team has refused to retract the comment.
- Moore’s attorney Joseph Sandler responded in mid-July by citing Department of Justice records showing Epstein-controlled firms bought shares in Sinclair while Smith served as chairman.
- Reporting by Semafor and The Baltimore Banner says Smith has intervened in Baltimore Sun reporting, including being copied on reporters’ emails, raising concerns about editorial independence since his 2024 purchase of the paper.
- The clash could shape local media trust and free-speech disputes by testing whether a governor’s public comment about investor ties is protected speech or actionable defamation, and it highlights wider questions about political influence from media owners.