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First Lady Melania Trump has denied connections to Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters at the White House that any claims linking the two "need to end today".
In a surprise announcement on Thursday, the first lady called for congressional hearings for survivors of Epstein's sex trafficking.
She also denied online rumours that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump, calling them "mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation".
It is unclear what prompted the announcement.
There was no prior indication from her office that she would make a statement on Epstein, and the White House did not share the topic earlier when her remarks were put on its daily schedule.
She said she had not been a victim of Epstein, with whom she only briefly "crossed paths" in 2000.
I have never had any knowledge of Epstein abuse of his victims," she said. "I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant.
She also denied knowing Ghislaine Maxwell, the disgraced financier's jailed associate.
She referred to a 2002 email between her and Maxwell released in the Epstein files, calling it nothing more than "casual correspondence" and a "polite reply".
An email that appears to be the one she referenced is addressed to "G" - presumably for Ghislaine - and includes compliments about a story featuring "JE" with a photo of G that appeared in New York Magazine. She wrote that she "cannot wait" to go to Palm Beach.
Give me a call when you are back in NY," the email says. "Have a great time! Love, Melania
The New York Magazine article included quotes from now-President Donald Trump calling Epstein a "terrific guy" and saying "he's a lot of fun to be with".
It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them on the younger side," the story quoted him saying. "No doubt about it - Jeffrey enjoys his social life.
Melania Trump on Thursday additionally called on lawmakers to "give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony".
Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record," she said. "Then, and only then, we will have the truth.
Several prominent business leaders have been forced to resign their positions in recent months after new details emerged about their ties to Epstein - a fact that Melania Trump referenced in her remarks.
"Of course, this doesn't amount to guilt, but we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth," she said.
She did not take questions from reporters.
In a statement published soon after she spoke, California Representative Robert Garcia, the most powerful Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said that "we agree with Melania Trump's call for a public hearing".
He urged the committee chairman, Republican Representative James Comer, "to respond to the First Lady's request and schedule a public hearing immediately".
Family of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, Sky and Amanda Roberts, and other survivors told BBC Newsnight that they "have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony.
"Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice," they said in a statement. They accused the first lady of protecting "those with power", including members of her husband's administration who they said still have not released all of the investigative files related to Epstein.
Survivors have done their part," they said. "Now it's time for those in power to do theirs.
The relationship between the first lady and Epstein has already led to legal battles.
In October 2025, for example, HarperCollins UK said it would retract passages from a book that included "unverified" claims that Donald Trump and his wife met through Epstein. Similarly, the Daily Beast retracted and apologised for an article the publication later said "did not meet our standards."
The first lady also has been embroiled in an ongoing legal dispute with author Michael Wolff over a claim in his book Fire and Fury that she was first introduced to her husband through a modelling agent tied to Epstein.
Wolff moved to counter-sue her after she threatened him with a $1bn (£745mn) defamation lawsuit.
"My attorneys and I have fought these unfounded and baseless lies with success, and will continue to maintain my sound reputation without hesitation," she said on Thursday.
Her statement at the White House is an extremely rare appearance by the first lady, one of only a handful of similar events for a first lady who has proven both elusive and influential since her husband returned to the White House
The first lady's statement is likely to reignite intense public debate over the handling of the justice department's investigation into Epstein and the subsequent release of its files.
While Donald Trump has acknowledged that he knew Epstein for a time, he later claimed he expelled him from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach for being a "creep".
The president was mentioned numerous times in the Epstein files, but there is no indication of wrongdoing.
Source: BBC
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