A dispute between Melania Trump and Hunter Biden intensified on Thursday. This follows Hunter Biden's controversial remarks about Melania's alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex trafficker. In a recent interview with YouTube host Andrew Callaghan, Hunter claimed that Epstein introduced Melania to her future husband, Donald Trump.

Melania Trump's attorney, Alejandro Brito, responded to Hunter's assertion with a letter, labeling it "untrue and extremely salacious." Brito warned of a potential billion-dollar lawsuit if Hunter did not retract his statement, which he argued caused significant financial and reputational damage to Melania Trump.

During his appearance on Callaghan's program, Hunter Biden was given a chance to apologize. He firmly rejected the idea, stating, "F--- that, that's not going to happen." He defended his claim by referencing a book by Michael Wolff, a biographer of Donald Trump, which suggested a close relationship between Epstein and Trump. However, Trump has dismissed Wolff as a "third-rate reporter" and has questioned the accuracy of his accounts.

The Daily Beast, which had reported on Wolff's claims, later retracted its story and issued an apology after receiving a similar letter from Melania Trump's legal team.

Hunter Biden expressed willingness to clarify the situation further, saying, "If they want to sit down for a deposition and clarify the nature of the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein -- if the president and the first lady want to do that ... I'm more than happy to provide them the platform to be able to do it."

In response to Hunter's comments, Nick Clemens, a spokesperson for Melania Trump, stated that her attorneys are actively pursuing retractions and apologies from those spreading what they consider defamatory falsehoods. He emphasized that the true account of how Melania met Donald Trump is detailed in her memoir, "Melania," where she recounts their introduction at a 1998 Fashion Week party in New York.

Hunter Biden has a history of legal challenges. Just before Donald Trump's inauguration, then-President Biden pardoned Hunter for two criminal convictions in Delaware and California, which could have led to significant prison time. Additionally, Hunter has filed multiple lawsuits against individuals he accuses of misusing information from his laptop, with one defamation case set to go to trial this fall.