Melania Trump makes shock statement saying ‘lies’ linking her to Jeffrey Epstein ‘must stop’
First Lady Melania Trump makes a surprise speech at the White House, pushing back on allegations that she has ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I am not a victim of Epstein,” he said Thursday afternoon. ‘Epstein didn’t introduce me to Donald Trump. ‘I met my husband by chance at a party in New York in 1998.’
‘I was never friends with Epstein,’ he added.
The announcement came as a shock given the lack of a recent statement linking him to the sex offender who the government said committed suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Melania did not take any questions before leaving the podium.
She claimed that although she and the President had overlapping social circles with Epstein, they did not have a relationship. He also said he never had a relationship with Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
She told the room that she first met Epstein in 2000 and was unaware of his criminal enterprises.
The first lady said she had seen “fake images and statements” on social media for years linking her to Epstein and urged viewers to “be careful about what you believe.”
“I was never friends with Einstein,” Melania Trump said at the White House on Thursday afternoon.
The First Lady said that rumors on social media linking her to Epstein were unfounded and that she met Donald Trump at a party in 1998, but through the sex offender himself.
‘These images and stories are completely false. “I am not a witness or an anonymous witness in connection with any of Epstein’s crimes,” he said.
‘The false smears about me from mean-spirited and politically motivated individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name to gain financially and climb politically must stop,’ the First Lady continued. ‘I lie grounded in success and continue to maintain my solid reputation without hesitation.’
In a surprising move, Melania called on Congress to hold hearings with victims of Epstein’s abuse.
“I urge Congress to provide a public hearing that centers on the women victimized by Epstein, especially the survivors,” she added.
Melania noted that Epstein did not work alone and that many prominent male executives resigned as the scandal became increasingly politicized.
While this does not mean the executive is guilty, ‘we must still work openly and transparently to uncover the truth.’
He also responded to an email he sent to Maxwell that was published in January, saying his response was meant to be polite and did not indicate an intimate relationship.
Buried within more than three million Jeffrey Epstein files is an email signed ‘Love, Melania’ that appears to have been sent to Maxwell.
Donald Trump and then-girlfriend Melania Knauss, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000
Trump and the financier chatting with Belgian supermodel Ingrid Seynhaeve at a Victoria’s Secret party at Manhattan’s Laura Belle club in April 1997
Ghislaine Maxwell attends Theo Fennell party at Cafe Royal in London on November 10, 1996
The names of the sender and recipient of the email dated October 23, 2002 have been redacted.
The message begins: ‘Dear G! How are you? Good story about JE in NY magazine. ‘You look great in the picture.’
That week, New York Magazine published the now infamous story: ‘Jeffrey Epstein: The Mysterious International Money Man.’
The article included a full-page color image of a grinning front of Epstein’s private jet alongside Bill Clinton as actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker boarded.
The article included a photo of Maxwell at a black-tie event with Epstein, as well as a photo of Donald Trump and his financier chatting with Belgian supermodel Ingrid Seynhaeve at a Victoria’s Secret party.
The email continues: ‘I know you are very busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach? I can’t wait to get down. Call me when you get back to New York. Hope you have a good time!’
Lovingly signed: ‘Love, Melania.’
