House Passes Bipartisan Housing Bill Targeting Corporate Homebuyers

The first lady has denied any association with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of child sex trafficking.

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” the first lady said in an April press conference.

“The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation,” she added at the time.

Wolff claimed in his lawsuit that the president and first lady “have made a practice of threatening those who speak against them” with costly legal actions “to silence their speech, to intimidate their critics generally, and to extract unjustified payments and North Korean-style confessions and apologies.”

He added that some of his statements were taken out of context and some were protected speech, including a statement he made that claimed the Trumps have a “sham marriage, trophy marriage,” that his lawsuit says was a “fair and justified” opinion.

It also said in his lawsuit that Wolff never accused the first lady of being involved with criminal activity associated with Epstein.

The Daily Beast retracted an article last summer, titled “Melania Trump ‘Very Involved’ in Epstein Scandal: Author,” which was based on an interview with Wolff, after the outlet received a letter from Brito.

In the interview that formed the basis for the retracted piece, Wolff said he reported that the first lady was “behind the scenes” dealing with the situation at the White House, but was not involved criminally.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace praised Melania Trump at the time for coming out against Epstein.

“Melania Trump stands with Epstein victims,” Mace said, citing the first lady’s advocacy for legislation addressing the distribution of fake intimate images. “The truth will prevail.”

Democratic lawmakers also commented following the statement.

Rep. Robert Garcia called for a public hearing, writing, “We agree with First Lady Melania Trump’s call for a public hearing,” Garcia said. “We encourage Chairman Comer to schedule a hearing immediately.”

Garcia said the remarks renewed attention on the broader investigation.

In her remarks, Melania Trump called on Congress to take action.

“Now is the time for Congress to act,” she said.

She urged lawmakers to allow victims to testify under oath.