Summary of this article
Melania Trump says claims linking her to Jeffrey Epstein are “mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”
Citing legal response, she says, “My attorneys and I have fought these unfounded and baseless lies with success.”
Seeking hearings, also Urges Congress to let victims testify publicly.
US First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday denied any relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling allegations linking her to him “false” and “defamatory” in a rare public statement from the White House.
Addressing the issue directly, she said the “stories are completely false” and described online accusations suggesting her involvement as “smears about me.”
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. 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,” she said.
Reading from a prepared statement, the First Lady categorically denied any association with Epstein and asserted that legal steps had already been taken to counter the claims. “My attorneys and I have fought these unfounded and baseless lies with success,” she added.
She also addressed her limited interaction with Ghislaine Maxwell, stating that any contact was minimal and not indicative of a personal relationship. She said she was not friends with Epstein or Maxwell and that any overlap was confined to broader social circles in New York and Florida.
Referring to a past email exchange, she described her response as insignificant. “My polite reply to her email doesn't amount to anything more than a trifle,” she said, characterising it as casual correspondence.
In a notable shift, Trump also called on lawmakers to centre survivors of Epstein’s crimes in public discourse. She urged the US Congress to hold hearings that would allow victims to testify openly.
“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes,” she said. “Then, and only then, we will have the truth.”
Her remarks come at a time when the Epstein controversy, which had dominated political discourse in the United States for months, had begun to recede from the spotlight amid other global developments. However, her intervention is likely to bring renewed attention to the issue.
