Author Michael Wolff filed a lawsuit against Melania Trump, accusing her of using legal threats to intimidate him over his claims of a connection between the first lady and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The dispute erupted after Melania Trump’s legal team issued a warning to Wolff, demanding he retract his statements about her involvement with Epstein. Wolff claims that the Trumps have a history of silencing critics through legal action, a pattern he says is evident in their treatment of other opponents. “They want to silence their speech, intimidate their critics, and extract unjustified payments,” he alleged in a statement to the Associated Press (AP).
The controversy began with a story published by The Daily Beast, which first aired Wolff’s allegations in a podcast interview with the outlet’s chief content officer, Joanna Coles. However, after pressure from legal teams, the Daily Beast retracted the article in July and issued an apology, stating it did not meet editorial standards. The story had claimed that Melania Trump was deeply involved with Epstein through her connections with a modeling agent and that Epstein was familiar with her. Wolff, however, said he had no involvement with the article, which he later retracted.
Wolff’s legal action centers on whether Melania Trump is connected to Epstein, and he intends to put the Trumps under oath to investigate further. His lawsuit argues that it is reasonable to question her alleged ties to the disgraced financier. In a statement, Melania Trump’s spokesperson emphasized the first lady’s commitment to combating false allegations, calling them “malicious and defamatory.” The legal battle highlights the ongoing tensions between powerful figures and the media, as well as the use of legal threats as a tool to suppress dissent.