Melania Trump says she not did not have relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

First lady calls on Congress to hold hearing with survivors of late financier’s abuse in statement delivered at White House

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Melania Trump, the first lady, told reporters on Thursday that she “never had a relationship” with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

It was unclear which specific accusations spurred the first lady to respond publicly. She delivered her scripted remarks at a podium in the same room Donald Trump used to address the nation on the war in Iran last week.