Washington, Apr 9 (EFE).- United States First Lady Melania Trump denied Thursday in an unusual public appearance that she had a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,» the first lady said in a statement to the media at the White House, in which she also asserted that she did not meet her husband, President Donald Trump, through the late financier and convicted sex offender.
«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 and Palm Beach,» she explained.
She also said that the email exchanges she had with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former partner and chief procurer, “cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence,” adding it was a “trivial note.”
Responding to online rumors saying that Epstein introduced her to President Donald Trump, she responded, saying, “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.”
Melania Trump added that she met Epstein, who committed suicide in his cell at a federal prison in 2019, in 2000, at an event she attended with the now-US president.
«At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings,» she added.
The First Lady denounced the images and statements circulating on social media linking her to Epstein as “completely false.”
“My name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victim statements, or FBI interviews surrounding the Epstein matter. I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant. Was never on Epstein’s plane and never visited his private island,” the first lady said emphatically.
“I have never been legally accused or convicted of a crime in connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking, abuse of minors, and other repulsive behavior. The false smears about me from mean-spirited and politically motivated individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name to gain financially and climb politically must stop,» she added.
Melania Trump concluded her message by urging Congress to grant a public hearing to the women who were victims of Epstein in an effort to shed more light on the case.
The issue of the investigation documents regarding the late child molester has weighed heavily on the Trump administration since last summer amid demands that the case files, which appear to implicate many powerful men, be released in full.
Since last fall, the Department of Justice has been forced to release hundreds of thousands of redacted documents, but this failed to calm tensions, and it is believed that the persistent discontent surrounding the matter was a factor in the recent dismissal of Attorney General Pam Bondi. EFE
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