Democratic strategist James Carville has issued an apology and removed a segment of his podcast, Politics War Room, following a legal notice from former First Lady Melania Trump’s attorney. The segment in question included comments about alleged ties between Melania Trump, former President Donald Trump, and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The original video, published on July 31 and featuring journalist Judd Legum, had been titled, “James Carville: The EPSTEIN Connection – TRUMP & MELANIA.” Carville acknowledged the controversy during the August 1 episode, confirming that his team had taken down the video and edited out the disputed comments.
“In last week’s podcast episode, we spoke with Judd Legum. 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 explained. “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.”
A screenshot of the original video title was shared publicly by Melania Trump, prompting further scrutiny. The incident comes amid broader efforts by the former first lady’s legal team to push back against media reports linking her to Epstein.
The Daily Beast also retracted a story published in July that alleged Melania Trump was “very involved” with Epstein. The article, which cited biographer Michael Wolff, claimed she had connections to Epstein’s social circle and that she initially met Donald Trump through ID Models founder Paolo Zampolli—an associate of both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Following legal correspondence from Melania Trump’s attorney, The Daily Beast removed the article and issued an apology. “After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding,” an editor’s note stated.
Wolff had also claimed, without substantiation, that Melania Trump knew Epstein well and that she and Donald Trump became intimate for the first time aboard Epstein’s private jet.
Adding to the tension, former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit in July against The Wall Street Journal, two of its reporters, and Rupert Murdoch. The lawsuit was in response to a report alleging that Trump sent Epstein a drawing of a nude woman for his 50th birthday in 2003. Trump has denied the claim and labeled the reporting false.