Melania Trump denies having a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in a surprise statement at the White House
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First lady Melania Trump denies having a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his crimes, saying Thursday that “the news is completely false” and calling online allegations that he was somehow involved in the billionaire’s sexual abuse of young girls and his dealings with rich and powerful people “spread by me.”
Reading a rare statement at the White House, Melania Trump said she and her lawyers were fighting “baseless and baseless lies” regarding her connections to the late financier, a convicted sex offender who used connections with the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes.
“The lies that associate me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein must end today. The people who lied about me have no moral standards, humility and respect. I do not oppose their ignorance, but rather I reject their evil-spirited attempts to tarnish my name,” he said.
The unusual and seemingly out-of-the-blue message came as her husband, US President Donald Trump, and his administration finally seemed to overcome more than a year of controversy surrounding Epstein, especially since the war with Iran has consumed everything in Washington. The first lady’s comments almost helped bring this issue back to politics as the president urged the public and the media to move forward in this case.
The White House account on X reshared the video of the event posted by the first lady’s account, but without further comment.
Melania Trump also asked Congress to hold public hearings focused on survivors of Epstein’s cases, with the opportunity to testify before lawmakers and have their stories included in the congressional record.
“Every woman should have her day to discuss her story in public if she wants to,” he said. “Then, and only then, will we have the truth.”
It is unclear why the statement is being issued now
Democrats jumped on Melania Trump’s words, saying they agree with her request for a congressional hearing. In a social media post, Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee investigating Epstein, called the committee’s Republican chairman, Rep. James Comer, to schedule a public hearing “immediately.”
At the moment it was not clear what led the first lady to speak about this issue.
His calls for the matter to return to Congress came 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 to require the government to open its files on the late financier and his privacy and that of his girlfriend, Maxwell.
Lawmakers complained when the US Justice Department made a limited release last month, but officials said more time was needed to review additional documents found and ensure no sensitive information about victims was released.
Melania Trump in her statement said that she was not friends with Epstein or his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, but he was at social gatherings in New York and Florida. He described the email response he sent to Maxwell as “just letters” without elaborating.
“My polite response to his email meant nothing,” she said.
Documents confirm that Jeffrey Epstein traveled to Vancouver in 2014, despite being convicted in 2008 of two counts of prostitution, including soliciting the prostitution of a minor. The conviction should have disqualified him. Federal officials have not yet responded.
Among the documents released by the Justice Department was a brief email from 2002 in which the sender and recipient were blacked out. It starts with, “Dear G!” then ends with “Love, Melania,” and compliments the recipient with a magazine article that mentions “JE.”
“I know you are busy flying all over the world,” he said. “How was Palm Beach? I can’t wait to come down. Call me when you get back to NY.”
That email was sent the same month a New York Magazine article about Epstein was published in which Trump called the financier “a horrible person.”
Among the other documents released was a photograph from Epstein’s home showing a series of pictures near a credenza and in drawers. In that photo, inside a closet among other photos, was a photo of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Maxwell.
In her speech, the first lady spoke about her husband several times. She said, contrary to rumors, Epstein did not introduce her to Trump and that she met her future husband at an event in New York City in 1998.
