US first lady Melania Trump has vehemently denied any connection to Jeffrey Epstein, calling the claims circulating as “completely false” and defamatory attacks on her reputation.
“The lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein must end today,” she said. “Individuals who lie about me lack ethical standards, humility and respect.”
Melania Trump emphasized that she never had any relationship with Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Melania Trump admitted to occasional overlap in elite social settings.
“Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, because overlapping in social circles is common in New York.”
She described her interaction with Maxwell as minimal: “My polite reply to her email is nothing more than a trifle.”
White House statement and legal pshback
In what observers described as an unusual move, the first lady made her remarks publicly at the White House, stressing that she had already taken legal action against such claims.
“My lawyers and I have successfully fought these baseless and baseless lies.”
She also flatly rejected any suggestion that she was among Epstein’s victims: “I am not Epstein’s victim.”
Call for Congressional Hearings
Melania Trump used the moment to advocate for survivors of Epstein’s abuse, urging lawmakers to hold public hearings.
“Every woman should have a day to tell her story publicly if she wants to,” she said. “Then and only then will we be right.”
Her proposal would focus on survivor testimony in a formal congressional setting.
Political timing
The statement comes as Donald Trump’s administration begins to move through renewed scrutiny of Epstein. The controversy has recently been overshadowed by international developments, including the conflict involving Iran.
The Epstein case
Epstein’s connections to high-profile figures across politics, finance and business have been widely documented. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to charges of prostitution involving a minor and was later arrested again in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges.
He died in custody in 2019 in a Manhattan prison; his death was officially ruled a suicide.
Previously released records contained references to individuals in Epstein’s network, including social interactions and communications.
Trump’s past statements
Donald Trump has claimed that his association with Epstein ended in the mid-2000s and that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
The messages and records contained mixed accounts of their interactions, including references to shared events and travel in earlier years. Trump disputed some of those claims.
