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.
More than a dozen Epstein survivors signed onto a joint letter on Thursday responding to First Lady Melania Trump’s remarks calling on Congress to let them testify.
“Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein 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,” the letter says.
It continued, accusing the first lady of “shifting the burden onto survivors under politicized conditions that protect those with power: the Department of Justice, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Trump Administration, which has still not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”
“It also diverts attention from Pam Bondi, who must answer for withheld files and the exposure of survivors’ identities. Those failures continue to put lives at risk while shielding enablers,” the letter continues. “Survivors have done their part. Now it’s time for those in power to do theirs.”