Liputan6.com, Jakarta - On Thursday, April 9, 2026, First Lady Melania Trump delivered a strong public statement from the White House, directly denying any connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and any knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
This statement came amid the release of Epstein-related documents by the United States Department of Justice, which has renewed public scrutiny of the scandal.
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In her speech, Melania Trump asserted that the allegations linking her to Epstein are lies and defamation intended to damage her reputation.
She also called on Congress to hold public hearings centered on survivors of Epstein's crimes, allowing victims to testify under oath.
The First Lady's spokesman, Nick Clemens, confirmed that the White House had prior knowledge of Melania Trump's planned statement.
Melania Trump explicitly stated, "I have never had any knowledge of Epstein abuse of his victims," she said. "I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant."
She categorically called the allegations "completely false" and "slanderous" deliberately spread to tarnish her reputation.
The First Lady also emphasized that she never had any knowledge of Epstein's abuse of victims and was never involved in any capacity.
Meetings with Donald Trump and Epstein
Melania Trump denied claims that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump.
She explained that she met her husband by chance at a party in New York City in 1998, an event documented in her book "Melania."
Her first encounter with Epstein occurred in 2000 at an event she attended with Donald Trump.
At the time, she maintained she knew nothing about Epstein or his crimes.
She also highlighted the circulation of false images and statements about her and Epstein on social media over the years, urging the public to be cautious about believing such information.
Social Circles and Correspondence
Melania Trump acknowledged that she was in overlapping social circles with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in New York and Florida.
Regarding the email replies she sent to Maxwell, Melania described them as "regular correspondence" and "trivial notes."
One of the documents released by the Department of Justice includes a brief email from 2002 that begins "Dear G!" and ends with "Love, Melania," praising the recipient for a magazine article about "JE."
However, Melania asserted that the interactions were nothing more than casual communication and did not indicate any closeness or involvement in Epstein's activities.
Melania Trump stated that she "never was on Epstein's plane" and "never visited his private island."
Calls for Congressional Hearings and Legal Action
The First Lady called on Congress to hold public hearings centered on survivors of Epstein's crimes.
She stated that "now is the time for Congress to act" and provide victims with the opportunity to testify under oath before Congress.
The goal is for each woman to have the opportunity to tell her story publicly if they choose, and their testimony will then be permanently recorded in the congressional record.
Melania Trump also noted that she and her lawyers have successfully fought these "baseless lies."
She noted that several individuals and organizations have apologized for "lies about me," with the most recent example in October being book publisher HarperCollins UK apologizing and withdrawing sections of a book that suggested Epstein played a role in promoting her and Donald Trump.