Survivors of Epstein’s abuse accuse Melania Trump of ‘shifting burden’ on to victims | Melania Trump

More than a dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse accused Melania Trump of “putting the burden on them” as she called on Congress to hold public hearings with victims of Epstein’s abuse.

“Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, reporting and testifying,” said a group of 13 people and the brother and sister of the late Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s top accusers. expression. “Asking them for more is a perversion of responsibility rather than justice.”

The response came after the first lady made a surprise statement in which she denied having an affair with Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. She also said she was not a victim of Epstein, had no knowledge of his crimes, and that the late convicted sex offender did not introduce her to her husband, Donald Trump.

“The lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein must end today,” he said, adding: “Many false images and statements are being calculated about Epstein and me.” [sic] “He has been on social media for years.”

It is not yet clear what specific accusations led to his remarks. Senior advisor Marc Beckman said: Reuters “He spoke now because enough is enough. The lies have to stop.”

In an interview with the New York Times On Friday, the president said he didn’t know what the first lady planned to talk about in her statement, but that she wanted to answer questions about her connections to Epstein. “I didn’t know what the explanation was,” he said, adding that he “had every right to talk about it.”

During her statement, the First Lady also called on Congress to hold public hearings and obtain affidavits from survivors of Epstein’s crimes.

The group of Epstein survivors said in a statement Thursday evening that the first lady “shifted this burden onto the survivors under political conditions that protected those in power: the Justice Department, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Trump administration, which still has not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

“This also diverts attention away from Pam Bondi, who is responsible for the withheld files and disclosure of survivors’ identities,” they said. “These failures continue to put lives at risk while protecting enablers.

“The survivors did their part,” the statement said. “Now is the time for those in power to do their duty.”

Earlier this week, the Justice Department said Bondi would not comply with a subpoena that appears next week for a scheduled appearance before the House oversight and government reform committee to answer questions about the justice department’s handling of the investigation into Epstein and its release of the Epstein files.

Maria and Annie Farmer, two survivors of Epstein’s abuse, said in a separate statement on Thursday that “we cannot speak for other survivors, but what we want is accountability, transparency and justice.”

“The federal government has long mishandled the Epstein investigation by repeatedly ignoring survivors, violating their privacy, and refusing to release remaining records held by the Justice Department, including all FBI records from 1996,” they said. “If the federal government is truly committed to supporting survivors, it should ask us what we want and follow the facts wherever it leads.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment in response to the survivors’ statements.

Marina Lacerda, one of the survivors who signed Thursday’s group statement, also shared a post. video he said on social media: “Do we have to testify before Congress? For what? Please tell us why. Does this change anything? Will people be held accountable?”

“We implemented the transparency law, we removed the files, there are names among the files, no one did anything,” he said. “And yet you want to re-traumatize us and ask us to go before Congress and tell some of our stories that we’ve already told, so now you’re asking us to tell them again… and then you do absolutely nothing.”

Lisa Phillips, another survivor of Epstein, also weighed in on the First Lady’s words and said: Sky News She said Thursday that she believed the purpose of the remarks was to try to tell the public that the first lady “misunderstood everything about me, to separate myself from my husband.”

Asked about the proposal to hold a congressional hearing, Phillips said he understood the concerns of other survivors, but added: “The big picture thing I’m looking at is calling his bluff and saying, ‘OK, show us what you can do? What’s next?’ “I would say.”

When asked if he wanted the First Lady to contact him and his fellow survivors to find out their thoughts and feelings about what the next step “on the path to justice” would be, Phillips replied: “Yes, wouldn’t that be the next step for her? Why make a statement like that and then do nothing?”

Phillips called on the first lady to “take the next step,” adding: “If you want to see justice and accountability, and so do the survivors and the American people, what’s the next step?”

Inside an interview Republican U.S. Rep. James Comer, who chairs the House oversight committee, said Friday on Fox News that he “always planned to hold hearings with victims,” ​​adding: “My attorneys on the oversight committee have been in constant communication for months with attorneys representing Epstein’s victims. There are some victims who want to come in. Most victims don’t, and I completely understand that.”

“But we always planned to hold a hearing with the Epstein victims after the depositions were completed,” he said.