Melania Trump denies close ties to Jeffrey Epstein in rare public statement

First lady Melania Trump made a rare public statement on Thursday denying that she had close ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and calling on Congress to allow victims to testify.

"I am not Epstein's victim," Melania Trump said. "Epstein did not introduce me to [President] Donald Trump." It was not immediately clear why the first lady was addressing this issue publicly. But included in the Epstein files released by the Justice Department was a heavily redacted FBI interview that included the claim Epstein introduced the Trumps.

"I have never had any knowledge of Epstein's abuse of his victims," she continued. "I was never involved in any capacity."

The first lady asked Congress "to act" and hold public hearings allowing Epstein victims to testify.

"Epstein was not alone," Melania Trump said. "I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors. Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress."

Melania Trump made the public statement from the White House in front of cameras Thursday afternoon and did not take any questions from reporters. The denial comes a day after the DOJ said former Attorney General Pam Bondi would not appear for a subpoena before the House Oversight Committee on April 14. The subpoena addressed her handling of the DOJ documents about Epstein.

Melania Trump's name appears in the latest tranche of documents published at the end of January.

Donald Trump is also mentioned in the files, as the two men were friends before falling out. The president has also denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's alleged crimes. An NPR investigation in February found that documents naming the president were withheld from the files. Some of these files were later published.

In an apparent email to Epstein's co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, Melania Trump complimented how Maxwell looked in a photo, and told her to "give me a call when you are back in NY." She signed it, "Love, Melania." Maxwell was convicted on sex-trafficking charges in 2021 and is serving a 20-year sentence. Melania Trump said she had a "casual" email correspondence in her statement.

"My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence," Melania Trump said. "My polite reply to her email doesn't amount to anything more than a trivial note."

The first lady said the first time she met Epstein was in 2000 at an event she and Donald Trump attended. She said that "fake images and statements" about her and Epstein have been circulating on social media for years now.

"Be cautious about what you believe," she said. "These images and stories are completely false."

She also said she never visited Epstein's island or flew on Epstein's private plane.

"The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said.

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