US First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday denied ever being friends with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a statement read from the White House.
“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.”
President Donald Trump later told MSNBC he had not been informed of the first lady’s remarks in advance. The president has said his own association with Epstein ended in the mid-2000s and that he was unaware of any wrongdoing.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from a minor and died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting federal sex-trafficking charges; his death was ruled a suicide.
Melania said any contact with Epstein resulted from overlapping social circles in New York rather than a personal relationship. “I have never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City,” she said. She denied ever visiting Epstein’s private island or flying on his private plane, often referred to as the “Lolita Express.”
She also denied knowing or having a relationship with Epstein’s close associate Ghislaine Maxwell. “To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, Maxwell,” she said. Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison for her role in assisting Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation.
Melania said she met Donald Trump before any contact with Epstein: “I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband, by chance, at a New York City party in 1998.” She urged Congress to hold public hearings to allow Epstein’s victims to give sworn testimony: “Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes.”
She characterized a 2002 email to Maxwell — in which she asked Maxwell to “give me a call when you are back in NY” and which was among files released by the Justice Department — as casual correspondence.
Newly released documents known as the “Epstein files,” published in recent months, have renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s ties to prominent figures and prompted fallout in the US and abroad. In response to criticism over handling those documents, Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 1. In March, former President Bill Clinton told a congressional committee he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Edited by: Alex Berry