WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump denounced what she said are “lies” and “false smears” about her and Jeffrey Epstein, hosting an extraordinary press event where she said the two had no relationship and she did not know about his crimes.
“I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims,” she said at the White House, adding that she wasn’t friends with Epstein, and never flew on his private plane or visited his private island.
The first lady also said Epstein did not introduce her to her husband, President Donald Trump, and that she is not one of Epstein’s victims.
The bombshell statement was highly unusual for the first lady, who typically keeps a low profile and makes limited public appearances.
Trump senior adviser Marc Beckman said the first lady “spoke out now because enough is enough.”
“The lies must stop. It is time for the public and media to focus on her incredible achievements as First Lady,” Beckman added.
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about whether the president knew the first lady was going to make a statement. Trump told MS NOW in an interview that he didn’t know his wife was going to make a statement about Epstein.
The out-of-the-blue public address is sure to bring renewed attention to a topic that has dogged the Trump administration for months, creating fractures within the GOP and causing Trump to lash out at his own supporters.
The first lady called for more action from Congress on Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Many women have come forward in recent years accusing Epstein, a registered sex offender, of trafficking them as children or young women. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution involving a minor. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison term for conspiring to transport minors for illicit sex. Trump also denied any relationship with Maxwell.
“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes,” the first lady said.
Congress passed legislation forcing the government to release its Epstein files. Government records on Epstein include mentions of the first lady and her husband, and photos of them. The first lady said lawmakers should hold a hearing allowing Epstein victims to testify under oath.
“Epstein was not alone,” Melania Trump said, hinting at other potential abusers. She noted that several prominent executives resigned over their relationships with Epstein.
“Of course, this doesn’t amount to guilt,” she said. “But we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a social media post that he agrees with the first lady’s call for a public hearing and requested that Chairman James Comer schedule one “immediately.”
Last year the first lady threatened to sue Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, for claiming that she and the president were introduced to each other by Epstein.
Melania Trump said April 9 that she and her attorneys will continue “to maintain my sound reputation without hesitation.”
She has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein, whom she said she first met in 2000 at an event she attended with her husband. She said in her statement that she and her husband “were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time.” Her husband was friends with Epstein for years before the two had a falling out.
During Thursday’s press event, the first lady mentioned an email exchange she had with Maxwell, Epstein’s associate, but did not elaborate.
“My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence,” she said. “My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note.”
A woman named Melania wrote an email that was among the documents released by the Justice Department. The email begins “Dear G! How are you?” and ends with “Love, Melania.”
“I know you are very busy flying all over the world,” the email reads. “How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Melania Trump denies connection to Epstein, blasts ‘lies’ and ‘smears’
Reporting by Zac Anderson and Christopher Cann, with contributions from Reuters and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
