Renewed attention on the government’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation has fueled speculation about whether he introduced Melania Trump to her future husband. Those rumors surfaced in a Daily Beast story alleging the Trumps would not be married today without their connection to the disgraced financier.
On Monday, the outlet announced it had fully retracted the report by Michael Wolff after receiving a letter from Melania Trump’s legal team. The article was based on Wolff’s podcast claim that Epstein had been “very involved” in introducing the couple during a 1990s social gathering.
“She’s introduced by a model agent, both of whom Trump and Epstein are involved with. She’s introduced to Trump that way,” Wolff alleged. “Epstein knows her well.”
Wolff, criticized by various far-left media figures for his misrepresentation of facts, appears to have lost the trust of his editors, as indicated in the outlet’s note. “Upon reflection, we have determined that the article did not meet our standards and has therefore been removed from our platforms,” it reads.
“In response to a letter from the First Lady’s attorneys, The Daily Beast has also removed a portion of an episode of The Daily Beast Podcast titled ‘Trump’s Epstein Scandal Can’t Stop Won’t Stop’ referencing the First Lady. The First Lady points to her bestselling book Melania as the definitive account of her life story,” the outlet continued. “We apologize to the First Lady and our readers.”