Washington — On Thursday, First Lady Melania Trump made a public statement dismissing any association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She urged Congress to organize a public hearing dedicated to the testimonies of Epstein’s victims.

In a six-minute address broadcast live from the White House, Melania Trump directly confronted the Epstein issue for the first time since the Justice Department released extensive records related to the case. She emphasized that “now is the time for Congress to act.”

“I urge Congress to create a platform for the women affected by Epstein’s actions to share their experiences publicly,” the First Lady expressed to the reporters gathered at the White House. “Allow these victims to testify under oath in a congressional setting. Each woman’s story deserves to be heard and permanently recorded in the congressional archives. Only then can we uncover the full truth. Thank you.”

It remains unclear why Melania Trump chose this particular moment to speak, rather than immediately after the release of the documents. Photos of the Trumps with Epstein and Maxwell have been in the public eye for some time, and emails from the Justice Department showed that Melania and Maxwell had at least one email exchange.

Melania Trump clarified that Epstein did not introduce her to Donald Trump, and described her email interaction with Maxwell as merely “polite” and “casual.”

“I was not a victim of Epstein,” she declared. “He did not introduce me to Donald Trump. We met by chance at a New York City event in 1998, as detailed in my book, Melania. My first encounter with Epstein was at an event I attended with Donald in 2000. At that time, I was unaware of his criminal activities. There have been many misleading images and statements about Epstein and me shared on social media over the years. Be cautious about what you believe, as these are entirely false.”

“I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims,” she added. “I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant. Was never on Epstein’s plane. And never visited his private island.”