Melania Trump denies having a relationship with Epstein

US First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday condemned “lies” about her alleged ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying she had no relationship with him or was his victim. She also called on Congress to hold public hearings with Epstein's victims.

“The lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein must end today. The people lying about me are devoid of ethics, humility and respect. I have nothing against their ignorance, but I reject their vile attempts to tarnish my reputation,” the president said in a few-minute-long statement at the White House.

Melania Trump noted that she was never friends with Epstein, but that she and Donald Trump moved in the same circles, which “often happens in New York and Palm Beach.” She also denied being a victim of Epstein, taking part in his crimes, and that he introduced her to Donald Trump. She also assured that her e-mails to Epstein's partner Ghislaine Maxwell, which were included in the files disclosed by the US Ministry of Justice, were purely courtesy.

She noted that she met her husband by accident at a party in New York in 1998, and met Epstein for the first time in 2000.

– At that time, I had no idea about his criminal activities. Numerous false photos and information about him and me have been circulating on social media for years. Be careful what you believe. These photos and stories are completely false, Melania Trump said.

The First Lady also called on Congress to hold public hearings with Epstein's victims so they could testify under oath about the matter. – Then and only then will we know the truth, she said.

It is unclear why Melania Trump made her statement on Thursday and what was the immediate cause of it. Reports and theories about her relationship with Epstein have appeared many times, but not in the largest American media. Controversial journalist Michael Wolff claimed that Epstein introduced Melania to Trump and that the pair had sex on the billionaire's plane. Wolff filed a lawsuit against Melania for suppressing his freedom of speech by threatening to file a lawsuit. Trump, in turn, threatened to sue former US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, for repeating Wolff's claims.

The files disclosed by the Ministry of Justice included emails between Melania Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell. In a 2002 message, Melania complimented an article about Epstein in New York Magazine, saying that Maxwell looked great in the photo and suggested they meet in New York. Maxwell responded by calling her “sweet pea” and apologizing that her plans had changed and she couldn't meet.

According to the New York Times and other media, Melania Knavs – then a model from Slovenia – was introduced to Trump by the Italian head of a modeling agency, Paolo Zampolli, who currently serves as a “special envoy for global partnerships” in the Trump administration. Zampolli's name appears numerous times in Epstein's files, although the nature of their relationship has not been precisely established. The businessman himself claimed that he had no close relationship with him.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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