Melania Trump Distances Herself From Epstein In Surprise Speech

First lady Melania Trump called for Congress to hold a public hearing centred on survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, in a press appearance where she also attempted to distance herself from the late sex abuser.

“Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony,” she told reporters. “Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record.”

The demand is a major step for the first lady, given the friendship her husband, President Donald Trump, had with the disgraced financier. The White House has not immediately responded to HuffPost’s request for comment, though CNN reports that the president was not previously aware his wife would mention Epstein in her speech.

The Trump administration has faced a major backlash for its efforts to hinder the full, transparent release of the Epstein files. Under recently ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi, relevant documents would be released over multiple drops, with many items censoring powerful names while revealing survivors’ identities.

“First Lady Melania Trump is now shifting the burden onto survivors under politicised conditions that protect those with power,” more than a dozen Epstein survivors said in a Thursday statement.

“The Department of Justice, law enforcement, prosecutors and the Trump Administration, which has still not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

Trump made sure to clarify, for some reason, that she herself “is not Epstein’s victim,” and that the “disgraceful” sex abuser was not responsible for introducing her to Donald Trump. She also condemned what she called “fake images and statements” purporting to link her to Epstein.

“The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect,” she said. “I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”

The first lady named The Daily Beast as an example of an outlet that had to retract its claims about her ties with Epstein. But given that the story Trump is likely referring to was from February, it’s unclear why she is choosing to speak about it now.

“I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity — I was not a participant, was never on Epstein’s plane and never visited his private island,” she said.

Trump did admit, however, that she exchanged an email at least once with Epstein’s now-imprisoned accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. The October 2002 email in question was made public in February by the House.

“Dear G! How are you? Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great on the picture,” her email to Maxwell read, with “JE” likely a shortened reference to Epstein. “I know you are very busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time!”

Maxwell responded to Trump by thanking her for the message and calling her “sweet pea.”

“Actually plans changed again and I am now on my way back to NY,” she said. “I leave again on Fri so I still do not think I have time to see you sadly. I will try and call though. Keep well.”

On Thursday, Trump said her email to Maxwell “cannot be categorised as anything more than casual correspondence.”

“My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a [trivial] note,” she continued, after claiming that she was not friends with Epstein.

Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who alongside Democrat Ro Khanna has aggressively pushed for accountability and justice related to the Epstein files, said on Thursday that the job of asking survivors to testify before Congress falls on acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

″[Khanna] & I already gave brave survivors a chance to tell their horrific stories on Capitol Hill,” Massie posted on X. “Pam Bondi wouldn’t even acknowledge them.”

The survivors said on Thursday that they have already shown “extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports and giving testimony,” and that asking them to do more is “a deflection of responsibility, not justice.”

“Survivors have done their part,” they said. “Now it’s time for those in power to do theirs.”