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Epstein Survivors Split on Melania Trump’s Call for Congressional Hearings as Comer Confirms Hearings Planned
In a rare, roughly six‑minute White House address on April 9, first lady Melania Trump forcefully denied any close ties to Jeffrey Epstein—saying she was “not Epstein’s victim,” denying flights on his plane or visits to his island, calling a single email to Ghislaine Maxwell a casual sign‑off, and urging that survivors’ testimony be permanently entered into the congressional record. Survivors were split: a coalition of 15 called her call for hearings a “deflection of responsibility” that could retraumatize people, while others, including Alicia Arden, supported testifying; the DOJ encouraged victims who wish to speak to contact the FBI. House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer said hearings are planned — “we will have hearings” — noting depositions are underway or scheduled and that committee attorneys are coordinating with victims’ lawyers.
📌 Key Facts
- On April 9, 2026, First Lady Melania Trump delivered a rare, pre‑recorded White House statement of roughly six minutes denying she was a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, saying "I am not Epstein's victim," and asserting she never flew on his plane or visited his private island.
- She said she first crossed paths with Epstein in about 2000 at an event she attended with Donald Trump (after meeting him in 1998) and characterized any social overlap or photos as incidental rather than evidence of involvement.
- Melania addressed a 2002 email to Ghislaine Maxwell that ends "Love, Melania," calling the exchange a polite, casual, even trivial reply praising a magazine photo and insisting it did not indicate a close relationship.
- Her statement came amid renewed scrutiny after the DOJ released large volumes of Epstein‑related documents — including a redacted FBI interview that said Epstein introduced Donald and Melania — and White House officials said the address was unexpected by staff.
- Lawmakers' responses were bipartisan and mixed: some Republicans (including Rep. Nancy Mace and Rep. Thomas Massie) publicly praised the statement and backed survivor hearings or legal action, while Melania's adviser said the address aimed to clear her name, champion victims and assert leadership.
- Epstein survivors were divided: a group of 15 released a joint statement calling Melania's call for congressional testimony a "deflection of responsibility," while some survivors (including Alicia Arden) supported testifying and others (including Marina Lacerda) worried hearings could retraumatize witnesses; sisters Maria and Annie Farmer urged accountability and said survivors' wishes should guide the process.
- The Department of Justice told reporters it encourages any Epstein victims who want to speak to contact the FBI rather than going directly to Congress.
- House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer confirmed the committee has planned hearings after depositions are completed, saying Oversight attorneys have been in constant contact with victims' lawyers, that some survivors are willing to testify, and noting prior and scheduled depositions in the probe.
📊 Relevant Data
Jeffrey Epstein victimized more than 1,000 women and children from diverse racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds across America and internationally.
Jeffrey Epstein victimized 1,000 women and children. His survivors have a message. — USA Today
Women in Congress are 70 times more likely to be victims of deepfake pornography than their male counterparts.
Women lawmakers are 70 times more likely to be deepfake victims, study finds — USA Today
Approximately 1 in 6 congresswomen have been victims of nonconsensual explicit AI-generated deepfakes.
1 in 6 congresswomen are victims of AI-generated nonconsensual explicit deepfakes — Mashable
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
The Sphinx Thinks It Stinks
"A critical New York Times opinion piece arguing that Melania Trump’s public denial and call for Epstein hearings is largely performative, risks retraumatizing survivors, and feeds a partisan spectacle rather than advancing genuine accountability."
📰 Source Timeline (12)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
April 11, 2026
1:55 AM
Epstein survivors push back on Melania Trump hearing call as Comer vows ‘we will have hearings’
New information:
- House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer told Fox News, "We will have hearings," saying he has always planned to hold hearings with Epstein victims after depositions are completed.
- Comer stated that Oversight Committee attorneys have been in "constant" communication with lawyers representing Epstein victims and that some survivors are willing to testify while most are not.
- A group of 15 Epstein survivors issued a joint statement opposing Melania Trump’s push for congressional testimony, arguing that asking survivors to testify now is a "deflection of responsibility, not justice" and that they have already shown "extraordinary courage" by coming forward previously.
- Comer reiterated that former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were deposed in February and that Bill Gates is scheduled for a June deposition in the Epstein probe.
- Melania Trump’s adviser Marc Beckman claimed her White House statement achieved three aims: clearing her record regarding Epstein, championing victims, and asserting leadership in Washington.
April 10, 2026
8:42 PM
Epstein survivors have mixed feelings on Melania Trump's call for hearing in Congress
New information:
- A group of 15 Epstein survivors released a joint statement saying Melania Trump is 'shifting the burden' onto survivors and calling her hearing proposal a 'deflection of responsibility, not justice.'
- Marina Lacerda (identified in a 2019 indictment as Minor-Victim 1) publicly questioned on Instagram whether a congressional hearing would achieve anything and warned it could retraumatize survivors who have already testified.
- Sisters Maria and Annie Farmer said they want 'accountability, transparency, and justice' and argued that if the federal government is serious, it should ask survivors what they want and 'follow the facts wherever they may lead.'
- Survivor Alicia Arden told NPR she supports testifying before Congress and described Melania Trump’s statement as 'brave,' underscoring that not all survivors oppose the call for hearings.
- The Department of Justice told NPR in a formal statement that it encourages any Epstein victims who wish to speak to contact the FBI, reiterating its preference for survivors to go through law‑enforcement channels rather than Congress.
3:50 PM
Melania Trump advisor says she's had 'enough' after breaking silence to deny Jeffrey Epstein connection
New information:
- Senior advisor Marc Beckman says Melania Trump broke her silence because 'enough is enough' and she wants the public to refocus on her achievements rather than Epstein‑related rumors.
- Beckman says Melania Trump feels she had to defend herself directly because legal efforts to stop what he calls 'lies and innuendos' in the media were insufficient and 'nobody's done it to date' on her behalf.
- The piece highlights her advocacy framing, including her push for a public congressional hearing for Epstein survivors and promotion of the 'Take It Down Act' she has championed, as central to how she wants to be perceived.
12:34 AM
Melania Trump's forceful Epstein denial draws bipartisan support from lawmakers
New information:
- Rep. Nancy Mace publicly praised Melania Trump’s statement, posted a photo captioned 'Melania Trump stands with Epstein victims,' and linked it to Melania’s support for the Take It Down Act against non‑consensual intimate images.
- Rep. Thomas Massie cited his bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act with Rep. Ro Khanna, said Melania’s request for survivor testimony is 'Todd Blanche’s job,' and called for former Attorney General Pam Bondi to be prosecuted over her handling of survivors.
- Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, now at odds with Donald Trump, nevertheless aligned herself with Melania’s remarks, saying she was 'grateful' for the statement, backed Massie’s call for DOJ prosecution, and underscored that Congress should legislate, not prosecute.
- The article notes that Democrats, including Rep. Robert Garcia, also began publicly responding to Melania’s statement, signaling at least some cross‑party support for bringing Epstein survivors before Congress, though Fox cuts off mid‑quote.
April 09, 2026
10:43 PM
In rare public address, Melania Trump denies close relationship with Epstein
New information:
- PBS frames the remarks explicitly as a 'rare public address from the White House' by Melania Trump.
- The segment emphasizes that she is denying 'allegations she had a close relationship' with Epstein and Maxwell, reinforcing that these are allegations, not established facts.
9:05 PM
Melania Trump denies close ties to Jeffrey Epstein in rare public statement
New information:
- NPR explicitly ties Melania Trump’s statement to a heavily redacted FBI interview in the newly released DOJ 'Epstein files' that claimed Epstein introduced Donald and Melania Trump.
- The article notes an earlier NPR investigation found DOJ had withheld some Epstein‑related documents naming President Trump from the public file dump, some of which were later released.
- It quotes her saying, "Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump," directly rebutting the FBI interview claim cited in the files.
- NPR reproduces more of the Maxwell email context, including Melania complimenting Maxwell’s appearance in a photo and writing, "give me a call when you are back in NY," signed "Love, Melania."
- The story connects the timing of her statement to the DOJ’s move a day earlier telling the House Oversight Committee that former AG Pam Bondi need not appear for an April 14 Epstein‑probe deposition.
7:51 PM
Melania Trump denies all but ‘casual’ ties to Epstein and Maxwell
New information:
- Confirms that the statement ran as a roughly six‑minute pre‑recorded video and that a White House official described the remarks to MS NOW as 'unexpected,' saying many staff were caught off guard.
- Direct quote that Melania Trump and President Donald Trump merely 'attended the same parties as Epstein from time to time' due to overlapping New York and Palm Beach social circles, which she frames as incidental contact rather than a relationship.
- Expanded explanation of the 2002 'Love, Melania' email to Ghislaine Maxwell: she characterizes it as a polite, trivial reply praising a magazine article and photo, insisting it is 'nothing more than casual correspondence.'
- On‑record denial of specific online rumors: she states, 'I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump.'
- Confirms that White House spokespeople did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s request for comment about her statement, suggesting this was driven by the first lady rather than a coordinated West Wing rollout.
7:30 PM
First lady Melania Trump slams "baseless lies" tying her to Jeffrey Epstein
New information:
- New, longer runtime detail: CBS reports the statement was about six minutes, versus earlier rough 'roughly three‑minute' descriptions.
- She explicitly states, 'I am not Epstein's victim,' and specifies she first crossed paths with Epstein in 2000 at an event she attended with Donald Trump, after meeting Donald in 1998 at a New York City party.
- She directly addresses the single email exchange with Ghislaine Maxwell revealed in DOJ records, characterizing it as a 'polite,' 'casual' reply.
- She categorically denies ever flying on Epstein’s plane or visiting his private island and says she had 'never had any knowledge of Epstein's abuse' and 'was never involved in any capacity.'
- The piece notes DOJ emails revealed that Melania Trump and Maxwell corresponded at least once over email, and that old photos of the Trumps with Epstein and Maxwell have long been public.
- She reiterates that survivors’ testimony should be 'permanently entered into the congressional record' and frames that as the path to 'the truth.'
7:27 PM
Melania Trump says she's "never been friends with Epstein" in rare address
New information:
- Axios headline language frames the April 9 remarks explicitly as a 'rare' public address by Melania Trump, underscoring how unusual it is for her to deliver a direct, six-minute statement from the White House.
- The Axios piece characterizes the address as an effort to personally distance herself from Epstein amid intensifying media focus and social-media speculation as more documents emerge.
- It reinforces that Melania framed the email ending 'Love, Melania' as a casual sign-off and reiterated that she first encountered Epstein only after meeting Donald Trump, not through him.
7:19 PM
Melania Trump Says She Was Not a Victim of Jeffrey Epstein
New information:
- The New York Times frames Melania Trump’s remarks explicitly around rebutting online and media speculation that she was herself a Jeffrey Epstein victim, matching the exact "not a victim" language used in her statement.
- The piece situates her comments within the broader political context of renewed scrutiny of Epstein‑related documents and the Trump White House, emphasizing that her statement was unusually lengthy and direct compared with her typical public profile.
- It underlines that she specified first encountering Epstein only after meeting Donald Trump in 1998, again in the 2000 timeframe, and stresses her categorical denial of any travel on Epstein’s plane or visits to his island as part of an effort to draw a clear line between social proximity and involvement in his crimes.
6:51 PM
WATCH: First lady Melania Trump denies any ties to Jeffrey Epstein and calls for survivors' testimony
New information:
- This piece is from PBS/AP and time-stamps the White House statement as delivered on April 9, 2026, around mid‑afternoon, explicitly framing it as an 'extraordinary' and 'seemingly out‑of‑the‑blue' address.
- It directly links Melania Trump’s remarks to the recent DOJ release of 'millions of pages' of Epstein‑related documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, noting lawmakers’ earlier anger over a limited initial release.
- The article describes and quotes from a specific 2002 email in those documents—beginning 'Dear G!' and ending 'Love, Melania,' praising a magazine article about 'JE'—and reports Melania’s characterization of her reply to Ghislaine Maxwell as 'casual correspondence' and 'a trifle.'
- It notes that Democrats, led by Rep. Robert Garcia as top Democrat on House Oversight, quickly seized on her call and publicly urged Republican Chair James Comer to schedule a public survivor‑focused hearing 'immediately.'
- The story underscores intra‑White House tension: Melania’s move pulls the Epstein affair back into the spotlight just as President Trump has been pressing to 'move on' and focus on the Iran war.