ANKARA 

US first lady Melania Trump has threatened to sue former President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden for $1 billion over what she called his "false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements.”

In an Aug. 5 podcast, Hunter Biden claimed that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep.”

The claim led Melania Trump’s attorney to send a note to Biden and his attorney demanding that Biden "immediately retract the false, defamatory, disparaging and inflammatory statements made about Mrs. Trump," adding: "Failure to comply will leave Mrs. Trump with no choice but to pursue any and all legal rights and remedies available to her to recover the overwhelming financial and reputational harm that you have caused her to suffer.”

The letter told Hunter Biden to preserve all evidence related to the disputed claims, including any communications about Melania Trump, his sources, and relevant documents or data. It warned that if Biden did not comply by Aug. 7, the first lady would pursue all legal options, potentially suing for over $1 billion in damages, Fox News reported.

“A source close to the matter told Fox News Digital that Biden did not comply with the requests by the set deadline,” it added.

Online outlet The Daily Beast had published a similar claim but retracted it and apologized after a legal challenge from Melania Trump.

Political strategist James Carville also repeated the allegation on his podcast but later edited it out and apologized after receiving a legal letter.

An aide to Melania Trump told Fox News Digital that her legal team is working to secure swift retractions and apologies from anyone spreading harmful, false claims. He added that the accurate story of how she met Donald Trump, before he became president, is detailed “in her best-selling book Melania.”

Epstein committed suicide in 2019 in a New York jail cell after his conviction on prostitution-related charges.