US First Lady Melania Trump has made a surprise statement, denying any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse or that she herself was a victim of the convicted sex offender.
The 55-year-old’s rare on-camera remarks at the White House came out of the blue, in an extraordinary intervention in a scandal that has long haunted her husband President Donald Trump.
It was not clear why the Slovenian-born former model decided to give the public statement, and she did not detail any specific allegations about her and the late, convicted sex offender.
Melania and Donald Trump had previously been photographed with Epstein, but she said that she had met her husband independently two years prior to meeting Epstein.
The first lady also urged Congress to hold a public hearing for survivors of Epstein’s abuse to “give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath”.
Epstein had died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors, but the scandal has repeatedly overshadowed Trump’s second presidency.
The US Justice Department has over the past year released huge tranches of files related to him. 
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has also denied any link to Epstein’s crimes.

 

‎