Author Michael Wolff has now reportedly filed a lawsuit against First Lady Melania Trump, claiming she attempted to silence him through legal threats after he made unverified claims linking her to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The move marks the latest clash between the outspoken journalist and the Trump family, whom Wolff has long accused of using litigation as a weapon against critics.
Wolff’s lawsuit was filed on the same day that Trump’s attorney set as the deadline for him to retract his statements, issue an apology, and pay damages.
The author instead moved forward with legal action, arguing that the Trumps were seeking to intimidate and suppress dissenting voices.
“President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, make a practice out of threatening those who speak against them,” Wolff said. He alleged that their legal tactics are intended “to silence their speech, to intimidate their critics generally, and to extract unjustified payments and North Korean-style confessions and apologies.” According to Wolff, such actions “are designed to create a climate of fear in the nation so that people cannot freely or confidently exercise their First Amendment rights.”
The controversy began after The Daily Beast published a story in July based on Wolff’s interview with the outlet’s chief content officer, Joanna Coles. The piece centered on Trump’s alleged connections to Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 in what was officially ruled a suicide. During the conversation, Wolff made a series of speculative claims involving Melania Trump, suggesting she was “very involved in this Epstein relationship.” He alleged that “there is this model thing, and she’s introduced by a model agent, both of whom Trump and Epstein are involved with. She’s introduced to Trump that way, Epstein knows her well.”
The Daily Beast later removed the story and issued a public apology, admitting the piece “did not meet editorial standards.” Melania Trump’s legal team had quickly challenged “the headline and framing” of the article, calling it false and defamatory.
A spokesperson for the First Lady, Nicholas Clemens, condemned Wolff’s statements and defended her decision to take legal action. “First Lady Melania Trump is proud to continue standing up to those who spread malicious and defamatory falsehoods as they desperately try to get undeserved attention and money from their unlawful conduct,” Clemens said in a statement.
Wolff, best known for his dubiously sourced Trump-era tell-all books, maintains that his lawsuit is about free speech and accountability. He insists it is fair to “ask whether Melania Trump allegedly fits into the Epstein story,” according to the Associated Press, and has signaled his intent to question both Melania and Donald Trump under oath.
For the Trumps, the episode underscores their readiness to defend themselves against what they view as reckless, politically motivated attacks. The case now sets up a direct confrontation between the First Lady and one of her husband’s most persistent media antagonists — a battle that could test the line between defamation and free expression in American political discourse.
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