Trump’s Epstein Connection Gets a Rewrite From Inside His Circle — But Questions Remain

The tangled web connecting the Trump family to Jeffrey Epstein just got a new twist. Paolo Zampolli, a Trump administration official and former modeling scout, has stepped forward to claim he was the one who introduced Melania Knauss to Donald Trump — not Epstein, the convicted sex offender whose abuse network has haunted the Trump name.

Zampolli, appointed last year as the president’s special representative for global partnerships at the United Nations, called the Epstein introduction story “totally nonsense” in an interview with Sky News. He even offered to testify before Congress to set the record straight.

This comes as the House oversight committee continues to subpoena Epstein’s associates, seeking answers about the sex trafficker’s extensive network. Melania Trump herself broke her usual silence with an on-camera statement denying any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes or that she was ever a victim. “The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said, accusing her detractors of lacking ethics and respect.

Donald Trump, meanwhile, claimed ignorance of Melania’s statement when asked by MSNBC.

The timing is notable: Zampolli’s former girlfriend Amanda Ungaro, a Brazilian model and one-time friend of Melania’s, recently gave an interview to a Spanish newspaper. Ungaro alleged that Zampolli used his influence to have Immigration and Customs Enforcement detain her amid a custody battle — a claim Zampolli denies.

Melania’s team points to her forthcoming 2024 memoir, Melania, for the “true story” of how she met Trump. According to her, Zampolli introduced them at a 1998 party during New York’s fashion week — two years before she met Epstein. At the time, Zampolli ran ID Model Management and was reportedly planning to buy Elite Model Management with Epstein, a deal that never materialized.

Despite these denials, Melania’s name appears in documents related to the Epstein investigation. Emails released by the Justice Department show her exchanging friendly messages with Epstein’s close associate Ghislaine Maxwell. An FBI document also notes an assistant stating Epstein introduced Donald to Melania, though this claim remains unelaborated.

Melania’s legal team has aggressively pushed back against allegations linking her to Epstein, threatening a $1 billion defamation suit against author Michael Wolff for claiming Epstein introduced the couple. Wolff countersued, accusing her team of harassment.

This public distancing effort is part of a broader pattern of the Trumps trying to control the narrative around their ties to Epstein’s circle. Melania’s recent statement on her modeling career, including her nude photoshoots, also seemed aimed at normalizing her past amid continued scrutiny.

The Epstein scandal’s long shadow continues to raise uncomfortable questions about the Trump family’s social and business entanglements — questions that no amount of official denials can fully erase. As Congress probes deeper, expect more revelations and denials in equal measure.