Some survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse have accused Melania Trump of "shifting the burden" of responsibility onto the victims, following a surprise statement she made at the White House.
In her statement, the First Lady distanced herself from the disgraced financier and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, calling on Congress to take sworn testimony from Epstein's victims in a public hearing. Some of them had already testified in a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight Committee last fall.
However, in a joint statement released on Thursday, a group of survivors said that Melania Trump's request is intended to "protect those in power."
They accused him of "shifting the burden onto survivors in politicized terms to protect people in power."
“The survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing complaints and giving testimony,” the statement said. “To ask them to do even more now is an abdication of responsibility, not justice.”
The statement also adds that this request diverts attention from former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who, according to them, should be held accountable for documents kept secret and for exposing the identities of several victims.
Meanwhile, Melania Trump told reporters that she "never had a relationship" with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell.
“I was never friends with Epstein,” she said. “I am not a victim of Epstein. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump.”
She added that she and her husband had sometimes attended the same social events as Epstein, noting that “social circles in New York and Palm Beach often overlap.” She also denied that her emails with Maxwell were anything more than “casual correspondence.”
