First Lady Melania Trump issued a rare and defiant public statement from the White House on Thursday forcefully denying any personal connection to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Calling recent accusations and media reports "baseless lies" and "smears" she sought to distance herself from the disgraced financier following the release of federal documents that reignited public scrutiny.
Defending Her Reputation
Speaking for five minutes in the Grand Foyer, the First Lady addressed long-standing rumors regarding how she met President Donald Trump. She clarified that Epstein did not introduce them, reiterating that they met at a New York City party in 1998.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she stated, adding that her legal team is fighting back against attempts to defame her name. She attributed the timing of these allegations to financial and political motivations.
Addressing the "Epstein Files"
The statement follows the enactment of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which led to the release of millions of pages of documents. Among the released materials was:
A 2002 Email: A "casual" note addressed to "G" (Ghislaine Maxwell) signed "Love, Melania," which the First Lady dismissed as trivial social correspondence.
Photographic Evidence: An image from Epstein’s home showing a photograph of Donald and Melania Trump alongside Epstein and Maxwell.
While acknowledging they moved in overlapping social circles in New York and Florida, Melania Trump insisted she was never friends with Epstein or Maxwell.
Call for Congressional Action
In a surprising move, the First Lady called on Congress to hold public hearings for the survivors of Epstein’s crimes. She emphasized that survivors deserve a platform to enter their stories into the official congressional record to ensure "the truth" is finally revealed.
The proposal received immediate, albeit varied, support. Democrats, led by Rep. Robert Garcia, called for immediate hearings, while Republicans like Rep. Thomas Massie focused on the Justice Department's role in further prosecutions.
