First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, denies any ties to sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein and claims she had no knowledge of his crimes. In a surprise statement from the White House, Donald Trump’s wife dismissed accusations that she was involved in slander against her.
Reading an unexpected statement from the lectern, Melania Trump stated that she and her lawyers are pushing back against „unfounded and baseless lies” regarding her connections with the deceased financier, a convicted sex offender who used his relationships with wealthy, powerful, and famous individuals to recruit victims and conceal his misdeeds, as reported by AP.
"The lies connecting me to Jeffrey Epstein must stop today. People who lie about me lack ethical standards and respect. I am not bothered by their ignorance, but I reject their malicious attempts to defame my reputation."
The message, seemingly out of nowhere, emerged at a time when her husband, President Donald Trump, and his administration seemed to finally move past over a year of controversies related to the Epstein cases, especially as the focus shifted to the dominant topic of the Iran conflict in Washington.
The First Lady's comments will almost certainly bring the subject back to the forefront of politics, just as the president urged the public and the press to move on from this case.
Calls for Congressional Hearing for Epstein's Victims
The First Lady spoke for about five minutes, reading her statement in the Grand Foyer, then left without answering questions.
She did not delve into the specifics of the accusations against her, but mentioned that they come from "individuals and entities trying to tarnish my good name."
She added that these actions are financially and politically motivated.
Melania Trump also called on Congress to hold a public hearing focused on the survivors of abuses committed by Epstein, giving them the chance to testify before lawmakers and enter their accounts into the official record of Congress.
"Every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes. Only then will we have the truth."
Two of Epstein's accusers, Maria and Annie Farmer, later responded: "What we want is accountability, transparency, and justice."
Another response came from former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia and former staunch supporter of Trump, who resigned from Congress after a public feud with the president: "I am grateful to the First Lady for her courageous statement today about Epstein and his victims."
Democrats also reacted to Melania Trump's statements, saying they agree with her call for a congressional hearing.
In a social media post, Congressman Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee investigating the Epstein case, asked the committee's Republican chairman, James Comer, to "immediately" schedule a public hearing.
Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky who initiated a bill that led to the release of millions of documents in the Epstein case, drew attention back to the Department of Justice, stating that it is the attorney general's responsibility to bring survivors to testify. Massie, who called for more arrests in this case, concluded his message with the call: "PROSECUTE!"
Questions about Epstein's influence have loomed over the administration and divided Republicans, creating tensions within Trump's MAGA base, with some calling for the release of more documents and prosecution of those involved.
The issue has haunted Trump and led to rifts, including with Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Trump dismissed the matter as a "Democratic hoax," but later signed a law to release documents related to the Epstein case.
It is not clear what prompted the First Lady to bring the subject back into discussion. She mentioned that several individuals and organizations have been forced to apologize for "lies about me." However, the most recent examples date back to October.
In that case, HarperCollins UK retracted passages from a book suggesting that Epstein had a role in introducing Melania to Donald Trump.
Melania Trump mentioned the president several times in her statement. She said Epstein did not introduce her to Trump and that she met her future husband at a party in New York in 1998.
Explaining the Email to Maxwell
The First Lady brought the Epstein case back into focus a few months after federal authorities released millions of pages of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law enacted after months of public and political pressure that requires the Government to disclose files related to the deceased financier and his confidante and former partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Lawmakers complained when the Department of Justice last month made only a limited release, but officials said more time is needed to analyze additional discovered documents and ensure that sensitive information about victims is not disclosed.
Among the documents released by the Department of Justice is a short email from 2002, with the sender and recipient anonymized. It begins with "Dear G!" and ends with "Sincerely, Melania," praising the recipient for a magazine article about "JE."
"I know you are very busy traveling all over the world," the message reads. "How was Palm Beach? I can't wait to go there. Call me when you get back to New York."
The email was sent in the same month that New York magazine published an article about Epstein, in which Trump called him "a terrific guy."
Melania Trump now stated that she was not friends with Epstein or Maxwell, but that she was in social circles that overlapped in New York and Florida. She described her email response to Maxwell as "casual correspondence," without providing details.
"My polite reply to her email means nothing more than a trivial note," she said.
Among other documents released is a photograph from Epstein's residence, showing several images placed on a shelf and in drawers. In that picture, in a drawer, among other photographs, there is one featuring Trump, Epstein, Melania Trump, and Maxwell.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in New York. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for recruiting teenagers who were sexually abused by Epstein and received a 20-year prison sentence.
B.B.