Melania Trump’s lawyers have now formally requested that Hunter Biden retract his statements from a recent TV interview. These comments purportedly link her and her TikTok persona to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Her attorney, Alejandro Brito, has made a powerful demand. This follows an apparent letter sent on August 6, characterizing Biden’s statements as false and defamatory.
In an interview with journalist Andrew Callaghan, Hunter Biden criticized “elites” and members of the Democratic Party for undermining his father’s political career. During this exchange, he made remarks suggesting a connection between Melania Trump and Epstein, stating, “Epstein introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep.”
Melania Trump has vehemently denied these claims. Her attorney has called Biden’s remarks “very salacious” and damaging. He insisted that they have caused her irrevocably financial and reputational harm. In addition to stressing the gravity of the allegations, the letter called for an immediate retraction.
Brito added that he’s still waiting to hear back from Abbe Lowell — Hunter Biden’s lawyer. This is all happening in spite of the very active legal back-and-forth. This breakdown in communication has led to confusion about whether additional litigation might be necessary. The former first lady Melania Trump has already threatened a defamation suit if Biden doesn’t take down his comments within 24 hours.
Melania and Donald Trump, seated together, first met in 1998 at an energetic gathering at New York Fashion Week. The introduction had been facilitated by modelling agent Paolo Zampolli. This story arc has been deliberately amplified and promoted by the Trumps through their public relations purveyors. Donald Trump had denounced author Michael Wolff as a charlatan who fabricated tales to enrich himself. He took particular issue with Wolff’s sensational allegations of supposed connections between Melania Trump and Epstein.
Public figures, such as Melania Trump, face significant obstacles to their claims in defamation suits. They have to show actual malice and clear and convincing evidence of reputational harm to get any relief. As this story develops, we will keep an eye on how Hunter Biden responds to the retraction request. There is often a legal battle ahead between the public agencies and the private sector.