Melania Trump Denies Jeffrey Epstein Ties

First Lady Melania Trump delivered an unexpected public statement from the White House, vehemently denying any relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. She refuted online speculation and 'fake images' linking her to Epstein, stating that she met Donald Trump in 1998, two years before encountering Epstein at an event with Trump in 2000. Melania Trump emphasized that she had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities at the time and was never involved in his abuse of victims, nor did she travel on his plane or visit his island. She called for an end to 'mean-spirited attempts' to defame her reputation, noting that several entities, including The Daily Beast, James Carville, and News Corp===HarperCollins UK, have been legally compelled to retract false statements. Furthermore, she urged the United States===United States Congress to hold public hearings for Epstein's victims, allowing them to testify under oath and have their stories permanently entered into the Congressional Record. This statement comes as the Donald Trump administration had seemingly moved past the Epstein controversy, and it has brought the issue back into the political spotlight.