The outlet acknowledged the story, which relied on allegations by journalist Michael Wolff, did not meet editorial standards. It was initially pulled in July after the left-leaning site received a legal threat from the first lady’s attorney challenging “the headline and framing.” The Daily Beast formally apologized on Monday in a statement that Melania Trump shared on X.
“The Daily Beast recently published a story headlined ‘Melania Trump ‘Very Involved’ in Epstein Scandal: Author’ based on an interview with Michael Wolff. Upon reflection, we have determined that the article did not meet our standards and has therefore been removed from our platforms,” The Daily Beast said in a statement. “The first lady points to her bestselling book Melania as the definitive account of her life story. We apologize to the first lady and our readers.”
