First lady Melania Trump dismissed allegations that she ever had close ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein during a rare public statement Thursday.
Trump accused those attempting to tie her to Epstein as being “devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect.” She also maintained that she and President Donald Trump were never friends with Epstein and simply were in the some of the same social circles as him over the years.
“The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect,” Trump said. “I do not object to their ignorance, but rather, I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation. I’ve never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach. To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, [Ghislaine] Maxwell.”
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Trump also denied that Epstein introduced her to Trump, stating that she met her husband unexpectedly at a party in 1998. She warned Americans to be wary of the fake images circulating of her and Epstein.
“The first time I crossed paths with Epstein was in the year 2000 at an event Donald and I attended together,” Trump continued. “At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings. Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been calculating on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe. These images and stories are completely false. I’m not a witness or a named witness in connection with any of Epstein’s crimes.”
The first lady called out The Daily Beast, Harper Collins United Kingdom and political commentator James Carville for having to retract statements they made about her ties to Epstein. The Daily Beast retracted a story in August which alleged that Trump was “very involved” with Epstein and had met her husband through ID Models founder Paolo Zampolli, who had ties to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Carville removed an episode of his podcast, “Politics War Room,” after he referenced alleged ties to Trump and Epstein.
Trump also urged Congress to hold a hearing for the victims of Epstein and allow them to testify under oath.
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