Seemingly out of nowhere, First Lady Melania Trump delivered previously unannounced remarks from the White House Thursday afternoon about Jeffrey Epstein.
During her prepared statement, the first lady said she barely knew Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, vehemently denied Epstein introduced her to her husband, President Donald Trump, and called for public Congressional testimony from Epstein’s victims.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect. I have never been friends with Epstein,” she said, in part. “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. My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence. My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note.
“I am not Epstein’s victim… I’m not a witness or a named witness in connection with any of Epstein’s crimes,” the first lady added. “The false smears about me from mean-spirited and politically motivated individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name to gain financially and climb politically must stop.”
One of the media organizations Mrs. Trump called out by name was The Daily Beast, which was forced to retract a story and podcast containing comments by Michael Wolff in which he alleged she was “very involved” with Epstein. He also made a stunning claim about when she and the president first became intimate.
The Daily Beast retracted the story and edited Wolff’s commentary out of a podcast after hearing from the first lady’s legal team, writing in an editor’s note: “After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding.”
Epstein Victims Respond
Speaking at the White House, Mrs. Trump also called for Congress to hear testimony from Epstein’s victims. “I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors,” she said. “Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony. Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional Record. Then and only then, we will have the truth.”
Epstein’s victims, however, don’t seem to be welcoming the first lady’s request. They released a statement accusing her of “shifting the burden onto survivors under politicized conditions to protect those with power.”
“Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony. Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice,” the statement read, in part. “It also diverts attention from former attorney general Pam Bondi, who must answer for withheld files and the exposure of survivors’ identities. Those failures continue to put lives at risk while shielding enablers. Survivors have done their part. Now it’s time for those in power to do theirs.”
The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia, agreed with the First Lady, calling for a public hearing and urging Republican Chairman James Comer to schedule one “immediately.”
On the GOP side, Rep. Tim Burchett told CNN he looked “forward to working with the first lady on this very important issue.” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna posted on X that Chairman Comer has agreed to call four individuals “who were listed as Epstein co-conspirators by the FBI, yet given plea deals,” but she stopped short of echoing Mrs. Trump.
Megyn’s Take
On Friday’s show, Megyn explained why the first lady’s remarks caught so many inside and outside the beltway and media off-guard and offered her best guess as to why she decided to speak out now. Watch:
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 1,293 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.