US First lady Melania Trump denies links with Jeffrey Epstein
First lady Melania Trump is denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his sex crimes, saying that the “stories are completely false” and calling accusations that she was somehow involved “smears about me”.
Reading an extraordinary statement at the White House, Melania Trump said she and her attorneys were fighting back against “unfound and baseless lies” in regards to her connections to the late financier, a convicted sex offender who leveraged connections to the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said.
“The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.” The seemingly out-of-the-blue message came as her husband, President Donald Trump, and his administration had finally seemed to move past more than a year of controversy surrounding Epstein, especially as the Iran war had become all-consuming in Washington.
The first lady’s comments almost assuredly served to push the story back into the political spotlight even as the president urged the public and media to move on from the case. The White House account on X reshared a video posted by the first lady’s account of Melania Trump reading her statement. White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the president had prior knowledge of the first lady’s comments.
The first lady spoke for about five minutes, reading her statement in the Grand Foyer, then walked away without taking questions.
She did not go into detail on the accusations against her but said they came from “individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name.”
She added that they were financially and politically motivated. Melania Trump also called on Congress to hold a public hearing centered on survivors of Epstein’s crimes, with a chance to testify before lawmakers and have their stories entered into the congressional record.
“Then, and only then, we will have the truth.” Democrats jumped on Melania Trump’s comments, saying they agreed with her call for a congressional hearing. In a social media post, Rep Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee that is investigating Epstein, called on the Republican chair of the committee, Republican James Comer, to schedule a public hearing “immediately.” It was not immediately clear what prompted the first lady to revive the issue now. She noted that several individuals and organisations have had to apologize for their “lies about me.” Of the examples she cited, the most recent was in October.
In that case, book publisher HarperCollins UK apologised to the first lady and retracted passages from a book suggesting Epstein played a role in introducing her and Donald Trump.
Melania Trump mentioned her husband several times in her comments. She said Epstein did not introduce her to Trump and that she met her future husband at a New York City party in 1998.
