Sarah Palin suing Azealia Banks after Twitter row

U.S. politician Sarah Palin is suing singer Azealia Banks after the pair engaged in an unlikely Twitter feud.

The 212 star recently sparked an unlikely online feud with the former Governor of Alaska, while responding to a satirical news article that suggested Palin had once said black people "accepted (slavery) willingly."

Banks appeared to suggest Palin should be sexually assaulted on camera in a series of since-deleted posts on Twitter.com, but later returned to social media to clarify her comments, stating, "I would never wish a woman to be raped." She then shared a lengthy apology on Tumblr later on Tuesday (05Apr16) insisting her words had been misconstrued and had been intended to be humorous.

Despite the apology, Palin has now revealed she intends to sue Banks for her comments.

"I've had enough of the unanswered threats and attacks against my family and me," she told People.com. "So, for the first time I'm going to enjoy the only retribution some protected 'celebrities' seem to understand - I'm suing Azealia Banks and can't wait to share my winnings with others who have gone defenseless against lies and dangerous attacks far too long."

Palin added that she's in "discussions with attorneys" and added Banks shouldn't feel that her race allows her to say things she wouldn't be able to if she were white.

"Let's be honest here: if a white girl were to say what this black girl is saying, the screams for the entire white population's head would be louder than the nonsensical rap that Azealia spews all the way to the bank," she added. "The white girl would probably be locked up."

Following Palin's statement, Banks was quick to respond on Twitter.

"If Sarah Palin actually decides to sue me I'll only use the controversy to make myself an even larger American Cultural Figure," she wrote, before adding: "When you're a public figure who courts attention, you can't sue (people) for making jokes. Freedom of Speech girllllyyyyy (sic)."