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Melania Trump Denies Epstein Ties, Urges Congress to Hold Survivor Hearing

Melania Trump Denies Epstein Ties, Urges Congress to Hold Survivor Hearing
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First Lady Melania Trump used a rare, televised statement from the White House on Thursday to flatly deny any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, while urging Congress to hold a public hearing for Epstein’s survivors as the political fight over newly released “Epstein files” intensified bbc +1.

Speaking from the Grand Foyer, Trump said “the lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” rejecting online rumors that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump and stressing that she met her husband “by chance” at a New York party in 1998 reuters +1. She acknowledged only briefly “crossing paths” with Epstein around 2000 and described a 2002 email to Maxwell, revealed in Justice Department records, as “a polite reply” that had been blown out of proportion bbc +1.

Why Melania Trump Spoke Out Now

Trump’s statement followed the Justice Department’s January 30 release of roughly three million pages of Epstein-related documents, mandated by the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act passed in late 2025 cbsnews +1. Among the files was a short 2002 email from “Melania” to “G” praising a New York Magazine piece on Epstein and inviting a call when Maxwell was back in New York, as well as a photograph from inside Epstein’s Manhattan home showing the Trumps with Epstein and Maxwell in a drawer of personal effects bbc +2.

Those snippets, along with a proliferation of doctored and misleading images on social media, had fueled speculation about the first lady’s ties to Epstein. Trump insisted she was “not Epstein’s victim” and had no knowledge of his abuse, calling the online narratives “fake” and “defamatory” reuters +1. Her senior adviser, Marc Beckman, said she chose to speak because “enough is enough. The lies must stop” reuters.

A New Flashpoint in the Epstein Files Fight

Trump’s call for a survivor-focused hearing immediately reverberated on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have been battling the Justice Department over the pace and completeness of the files’ release. Top House Oversight Committee Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia publicly endorsed her proposal, saying his caucus “agree[d] with Melania Trump’s call for a public hearing” and urging the Republican chair to schedule it “immediately” bbc +1. Republican Oversight member Rep. Nancy Mace also backed the idea, saying “now is the time for Congress to act” clickondetroit.

The administration has faced bipartisan frustration over the DOJ’s handling of the law, which required full release by December 19, 2025; critics say the department missed that deadline and continues to withhold material clickorlando +1. Last month, Democrats walked out of a closed-door DOJ briefing, and the House panel subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify on April 14 about compliance with the statute newsday +1. Trump’s statement added pressure on both Congress and DOJ, potentially reframing a partisan clash over redactions and missing records into a debate over how best to center victims’ voices.

The Bigger Picture

Trump’s forceful denial underscored how the Epstein files have become a political, legal and reputational hazard for figures named or pictured in the documents, even when the records do not allege criminal conduct. Her push for survivor testimony aligns her, at least rhetorically, with lawmakers demanding greater transparency, while also seeking to separate her own image from a scandal that has repeatedly encroached on the Trump inner circle. Whether her intervention leads to the public hearings she requested—and how much more the Justice Department ultimately discloses—will shape how long the Epstein saga continues to shadow Washington.

bbc AP News; reuters Reuters; politico NBC News; independent CBS News; cbsnews Al Jazeera; clickorlando NPR; apnews Time; clickondetroit BBC; wmtw Time; newsday Los Angeles Times; nytimes CNBC.