Melania Trump celebrated after Democratic strategist James Carville took down parts of a podcast episode that alleged a connection between her and Jeffrey Epstein, following involvement from the first lady’s lawyer.
At the start of Thursday’s episode of his podcast, “Politics War Room,” Carville issued an apology, saying his team removed some comments from last week’s episode and took down an accompanying video after hearing from the first lady’s attorney.
“After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump’s lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady,” Carville said.
“We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode. I also take back these statements and apologize.”
The video had been titled: “The Epstein Connection: Trump & Melania.” It’s no longer available on YouTube.
The first lady’s X account was updated Thursday with a post about the video’s removal, sharing a screenshot from the since-removed clip, with a big red X over it, alongside Carville’s written apology. Her social media post has been liked 17,000 times, as of Friday morning.
“First Lady Melania Trump’s attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods. The true account of how the First Lady met President Trump is in her best-selling book, Melania,” a spokesperson for the first lady’s office told The Independent.
Last week, legal pressure from Melania Trump’s attorney also led to an apology and retraction by The Daily Beast after the site posted an article about the first lady and Epstein. The article can no longer be found on the outlet’s website.
An editor’s note now appears in the article’s place. “After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump’s attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article. After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding,” it reads.
Before her Thursday post about Carville, the last thing Melania Trump’s X account posted was a link to an article about the Daily Beast removing its piece.
There has been ongoing speculation over the so-called “Epstein Files” ever since the Justice Department released a July 6 memo which concluded that no further investigation was warranted. It reiterated earlier official reports that the convicted sex offender died by suicide, and also stated there was no evidence to support the existence of a “client list” of high-profile individuals involved in his alleged sex trafficking.
The memo was disappointing to many, who had anticipated more revelations around the case. Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously said she had a “truckload” of information to review on the case, and even suggested the “client list”was sitting on her desk. She released “Phase 1” of the files in February, most of which was publicly available information.
Members of Trump’s MAGA following as well as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for heightened transparency around the Epstein case.
The president had been friendly with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, with photos capturing them together at parties. Their friendship dissolved around the mid-2000s. After Epstein's arrest on sex trafficking charges in 2019, the president told reporters he hadn't spoken to him in 15 years. The president has repeatedly called Epstein a "creep."
Last month, Trump revealed that he had ended his friendship with Epstein after he “stole” young female employees from his private club. A Mar-a-Lago member told the Miami Herald that Trump had Epstein kicked out in 2007 after the financier "harassed the daughter of a member.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump made a 50th birthday card for Epstein in 2003 that included a sexually suggestive drawing and a mention that they shared a “secret.” Trump has vehemently denied making the card and sued the newspaper and its owners for defamation in a $10 billion lawsuit.
Trump has never been formally accused of wrongdoing or charged with any crime in connection with the Epstein case.
Trump recently reached settlements with CBS News and ABC News after he filed lawsuits against the networks over allegations unrelated to Epstein.
