Author Michael Wolff sues Melania Trump over Jeffrey Epstein threat

Author Michael Wolff has sued first lady Melania Trump, charging that she threatened a $1 billion legal action against him to stop him from reporting and writing about her alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein."Mrs.

Author Michael Wolff has sued first lady Melania Trump, charging that she threatened a $1 billion legal action against him to stop him from reporting and writing about her alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

"Mrs. Trump's claims are made for the sole purpose of harassing, intimidating, punishing or otherwise maliciously inhibiting Mr. Wolff's free exercise of speech," said the suit, which was filed Tuesday in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan.

The filing includes as an attachment a letter Trump's attorney, Alejandro Brito, sent to Wolff, the author of “Fire and Fury,” last week demanding that he retract and apologize for public comments he has made linking his client to Epstein, the notorious sex offender, and that he make "a monetary proposal to Mrs. Trump to ameliorate the harm that you have caused."

Trump has been aggressive in pushing back against what her lawyers describe as false reports linking to her Epstein, and her office said in a statement Wednesday that she "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."

The letter from Brito cited comments Wolff had made to The Daily Beast this year in a story headlined “Melania Trump ‘Very Involved’ in Epstein Scandal: Author,” as well as comments he made on a Daily Beast podcast.