SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Washington: First lady Melania Trump has denied any connection with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein amid what she described as lies and “false smears” being circulated by politically motivated actors.
In a rare, solo public statement from the White House, she also denied that she was close to Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, after the so-called Epstein files revealed they had engaged in friendly correspondence many years ago.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said.
“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.”
The former model said she was never friends with Epstein, did not have a relationship with him or Maxwell, and was not introduced to her husband, US President Donald Trump, through Epstein, as is commonly claimed.
She said she had met her husband “by chance at a New York City party in 1998”. She first crossed paths with Epstein two years later at a function she attended with her now husband, she said.
“Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach.”
The Epstein files unearthed a 2002 email exchange between Melania Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell in which Trump praised a magazine story about Epstein and told Maxwell she looked great in the photographs.
“I know you are busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach?” Trump wrote to Maxwell at the time. “I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY.”
The email, before Epstein was ever charged with sexual crimes, was listed by Democrats on the House oversight committee among several “disgusting and shocking” revelations to have emerged from the Epstein files.
Melania Trump said on Thursday (US time) that her reply to Maxwell was merely casual correspondence. “My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note,” she said.
It was not immediately clear what, if anything, prompted the first lady’s address, but she lamented that “fake images and statements” about her and Epstein had been circulating on social media for years.
“The false smears 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,” she said.
“I am not a witness or a main witness in connection with any of Epstein’s crimes. My name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victims’ statements or FBI interviews surrounding the Epstein matter.
“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.
“I have never been legally accused or convinced [sic] of a crime in connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking, abuse of minors and other repulsive behaviour.”
Melania Trump also called on Congress to hold a public hearing centred on survivors of Epstein’s crimes, with a chance to testify before representatives and have their stories entered into the congressional record.
“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.”
Two of Epstein’s accusers, Maria and Annie Farmer, reacted to the first lady’s comments by saying, “What we want is accountability, transparency, and justice.”
Donald Trump told news channel MSNOW he did not know anything about his wife’s statement, according to a reporter for the network who posted about their conversation on X.
“She didn’t know him,” he said of the first lady and Epstein.
Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.
