Melania Trump Denies Epstein Ties, Calls for Public Hearings While Survivors Push Back

First Lady Melania Trump broke her silence on Thursday to deny any involvement or victimhood related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement released through her office, she condemned "lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein" and called for transparency through public congressional hearings where survivors could testify under oath.

Melania insisted she never had a relationship with Epstein or his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. She described her brief email exchange with Maxwell as "casual correspondence" and dismissed circulating images and stories as "completely false." According to Melania, she first encountered Epstein in 2000 at an event attended with Donald Trump, years after she met her husband in 1998 at a New York City party. She emphasized she has never been legally accused or implicated in any court documents related to Epstein’s crimes.

Despite the first lady’s call for openness, a coalition of 13 Epstein survivors and family members sharply criticized her statement. They accused Melania Trump of "shifting the burden onto survivors" rather than demanding accountability from those in power, including the Department of Justice, law enforcement, and prosecutors. The group also highlighted the Trump administration’s failure to fully comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and pointed to former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s role in withholding files and exposing survivors' identities.

Congressional Democrats have indicated that both President Donald Trump and Melania Trump could face subpoenas to testify about their ties to Epstein if Democrats regain the House majority. Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, affirmed support for Melania’s call for public hearings and urged the committee’s chairman to schedule them immediately. A "shadow" hearing with Epstein survivors is already planned for May in Palm Beach, Florida, near the president’s Mar-a-Lago club.

Melania Trump’s statement arrives amid ongoing scrutiny of the Trump family’s connections to Epstein and the broader push for transparency around the sex trafficking network. As survivors demand justice, the first lady’s attempt to distance herself has only intensified calls for accountability from the highest levels of government.