A letter from the first lady’s lawyers and addressed to an attorney for Hunter Biden demands he retract the claim and apologise, or face legal action for “over $1bn in damages”. <\/p>\n
It says the first lady has suffered “overwhelming financial and reputational harm” because of the claim he repeated.<\/p>\n
It also accuses the youngest Biden son of having a “vast history of trading on the names of others”, and repeating the claim “to draw attention to yourself”. <\/p>\n
During a wide-ranging interview with filmmaker Andrew Callaghan published earlier this month, Hunter Biden claimed unreleased documents relating to Epstein would “implicate” President Trump.<\/p>\n
He said: “Epstein introduced Melania to Trump – the connections are so wide and deep.” The first lady’s legal letter notes the claim was partially attributed to Michael Wolff, a journalist who authored a critical biography of the president. <\/p>\n
In a recent interview with US outlet the Daily Beast, Wolff reportedly claimed that the first lady was known to an associate of Epstein and Trump when she met her now-husband.<\/p>\n
The outlet later retracted the story after receiving a letter from the first lady’s attorney that challenged the contents and framing of the story. <\/p>\n
There is no evidence the pair were introduced to each other by Epstein, who took his own life in prison while awaiting trial in 2019.<\/p>\n
In the first lady’s legal letter, Hunter Biden is accused of relying on a since-removed article as the basis of his claims, which it describes as “false and defamatory”. <\/p>\n
A message on the archived version of the Daily Beast online story reads: “After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump’s attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article. <\/p>\n
“After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding.”<\/p>\n
Asked about the legal threat, the first lady’s lawyer, Alejandro Brito, referred BBC News to a statement issued by her aide, Nick Clemens. <\/p>\n
It read: “First Lady Melania Trump’s attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods.”<\/p>\n