First Lady Melania Trump has denied connections to Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters at the White House that any claims linking the two need to end today.
In a surprise announcement on Thursday, the first lady called for congressional hearings for survivors of Epstein's sex trafficking.
She also denied online rumours that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump, calling them mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.
It is unclear what prompted the announcement.
The intervention has produced a mixed response from Epstein survivors. One survivor, Lisa Phillips, described the statement as a bold move but questioned what more the first lady could do to support Epstein's accusers.
There was no prior indication from her office that she would make a statement on Epstein, and the White House did not share the topic earlier when her remarks were put on its daily schedule.
The president told news outlet MS Now he did not know about his wife's statement ahead of time. Meanwhile, the New York Times quoted a spokesperson for Melania Trump as saying the president knew that the first lady planned to make a statement, but later said it was unclear if he was aware of the topic of the remarks.
Melania Trump said she had not been a victim of Epstein, with whom she only briefly crossed paths in 2000. 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 also denied knowing Ghislaine Maxwell, the disgraced financier's jailed associate.
She referred to a 2002 email between her and Maxwell released in the Epstein files, calling it nothing more than casual correspondence and a polite reply.
A photo taken in 2000 shows Donald Trump with his girlfriend and future wife Melania Knauss, standing beside Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club.
Melania Trump on Thursday additionally called on lawmakers to give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony.
Several prominent business leaders have been forced to resign their positions in recent months after new details emerged about their ties to Epstein - a fact that Melania Trump referenced in her remarks.
California Representative Robert Garcia, the most powerful Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement after she spoke that we agree with Melania Trump's call for a public hearing and urged the committee chairman to schedule a hearing immediately.
Ultimately, Melania Trump's statement is likely to reignite intense public debate over the handling of the justice department's investigation into Epstein and the subsequent release of its files.
