Michael Wolff, the author known for his books on Donald Trump, has filed a lawsuit in Manhattan’s New York State Supreme Court against Melania Trump. He says the First Lady threatened to sue him for more than $1 billion if he didn’t retract statements linking her to Jeffrey Epstein and his social circle.
In his filing, Wolff asserts that the legal threat is part of a broader tactic by the Trumps to silence critics and keep their connections to Epstein from public scrutiny. He argues the statements at issue were protected speech or fair comment, and he seeks a ruling declaring that he did not defame Mrs. Trump. Additionally, he aims to depose both the President and First Lady under oath about their relationship with Epstein.
The First Lady’s legal team had issued a letter on October 15 demanding Wolff retract his comments, apologize, and pay damages after publishing remarks in interviews and online that suggested she was “very involved” in Epstein’s circle and that her marriage to Donald Trump was a “trophy marriage.” Mrs. Trump’s team called the claims “false, defamatory and lewd.”
Wolff has maintained that while some of the commentary was excerpted or taken out of context, none of it accused Mrs. Trump of committing crimes with Epstein. He said his goal is to open inquiry into what he views as the Trumps’ effort to intimidate critics and suppress freedom of speech via massive legal threats.
