Melania Trump, the First Lady, is threatening to take legal action against Hunter Biden for over $1 billion after he claimed that Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, introduced her to her husband. Lawyers representing Melania Trump say that the claim is “false, disparaging, defamatory, and inflammatory.” Hunter Biden, who is the son of former US President Joe Biden, made these comments during an interview earlier this month, criticizing President Donald Trump’s past association with Epstein.
Donald Trump was a friend of Epstein, but stated that their relationship ended in the early 2000s when Epstein poached employees from Trump’s Florida golf club spa. A letter from Melania Trump’s lawyers demands that Hunter Biden retract his claim, apologize, or face legal action for causing “overwhelming financial and reputational harm” to the First Lady.
The legal letter also accuses Hunter Biden of having a history of using others’ names for personal gain and using the claim to draw attention to himself. During an interview with filmmaker Andrew Callaghan, Hunter Biden stated that unreleased documents on Epstein would implicate President Trump. He also mentioned that Epstein introduced Melania to Trump, which the First Lady’s legal team says is false and defamatory.
Michael Wolff, a journalist and author of a critical biography of President Trump, reportedly claimed in an interview with the Daily Beast that Melania Trump was associated with an Epstein associate when she met Trump. The Daily Beast later retracted the story after receiving a letter from Melania Trump’s attorney.
There is no evidence that Epstein introduced the pair, and Epstein took his own life in prison while awaiting trial in 2019. Melania Trump’s lawyers accuse Hunter Biden of relying on a since-removed article as the basis of his claims.
In a statement, Melania Trump’s lawyer, Alejandro Brito, referred BBC News to a statement by her aide, Nick Clemens, which states that the First Lady’s attorneys are actively seeking immediate retractions and apologies from those who spread “malicious, defamatory falsehoods.”
In a January 2016 profile, Harper’s Bazaar reported that Melania Trump met Donald Trump in November 1998 at a party hosted by the founder of a modeling agency. Melania Trump, who was 55 at the time, declined to give him her phone number because he was with a date. President Trump had recently separated from his second wife, Marla Maples, whom he divorced in 1999, and was previously married to Ivana Trump between 1977 and 1990.
The BBC has reached out to Hunter Biden’s attorney regarding the legal letter. This comes after pressure on the White House to release the so-called Epstein files, previously undisclosed documents relating to convicted paedophile Epstein’s criminal investigation. Before being re-elected, Trump said he would release the records if he returned to office, but the FBI and justice department stated in July that no “incriminating” client list of Epstein associates exists.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqjyw0l9d82o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
