United States First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday denied ever maintaining a friendship with slain sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“The lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” he read from a prepared statement at a White House address.
“The individuals lying about me are devoid of moral standards, humility, and honor. I do not object to their ignorance, but I do reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.” He said.
Donald Trump has said that his relationship with Epstein ended in the mid-2000s and that he had no knowledge of any wrongdoing.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of having sex with a minor and died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, which was ruled a suicide.
What else has Melania Trump said about her contact with Epstein?
Melania Trump said that she came in contact with this good financier only because of their mutual social circle.
She said, “I was never friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, because overlapping social circles were common in New York City.”
She said she had never visited Epstein’s private island or been on his plane, known as the “Lolita Express.”
Melania Trump also denied any affair with Epstein’s partner and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
“To be clear, I never had any association with Epstein or his partner Maxwell.”
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for her role in assisting Epstein in his sex trafficking operation.
The first woman said she met her husband before he came into contact with Epstein.
She said, “I am not a victim of Epstein. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a party in New York City in 1998.”
He also called on Congress to hold a public hearing for Epstein’s victims to provide “sworn testimony” on the abuse.
“Every woman should have her own day to tell her story publicly if she wants to,” she said.
He said the e-mail he sent Maxwell in 2002 – in which he told the Epstein associate to “call me when you get back to New York” – which was among the files released by the US Justice Department, was merely “incidental correspondence”.
Epstein’s ties to prominent celebrities
The late financier’s ties to prominent figures have sparked controversy in the United States and other countries such as Norway and the United Kingdom since last year after new details about his dealings emerged in documents released in November and January.
On April 1, Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi after she faced criticism over her handling of the documents, known as the “Epstein files”.
In March, former President Bill Clinton denied any knowledge of Epstein’s sexual crimes in comments made before a congressional committee.
Edited by: Alex Berry