US First Lady Melania Trump gave a speech on the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the Trump family’s relationship with the late sex offender, standing at the main gate of the White House on April 9, which caused a stir in Washington.
The Trump administration had been blocking the release of the full Epstein dossier for months. However, Melania’s statement publicly supported the victims and indirectly supported the bipartisan effort in Congress to demand the release of the Epstein dossier.
Now a senior advisor to the First Lady has revealed why Melania spoke out publicly about the issue despite President Trump’s secrecy.
Give these victims the opportunity to testify under oath before Congress. Every woman should have the opportunity to tell her story publicly.
“This was an opportunity to officially state on the record that she had no relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and still has no relationship with him,” senior adviser Mark Beckman told US-based media outlet Politico. “That’s why Melania wanted to position herself as an advocate and a voice for victims. And she called on Congress to allow victims to appear before Congress and officially put their statements on the record if they wanted to.”
In that April statement, Melania said she was never a friend of Epstein. She was never harmed by him. She did not witness any of Epstein’s crimes or was in any way involved in them. She also denied claims that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump.
Melania also called on Congress to hold public hearings to hear the victims’ stories directly. “Give these victims the opportunity to testify under oath before Congress. Every woman should have the opportunity to tell her story publicly,” she said.
That same month, an organization of Epstein’s surviving victims complained in a statement that Melania was effectively placing the burden of achieving rights on the shoulders of the victims.
Melania’s statement was praised but also criticized. That same month, an organization of Epstein’s surviving victims complained in a statement that Melania was effectively putting the burden of proof on the victims to claim their rights. Yet in 2025, despite President Trump’s objections, Congress forced the Justice Department to begin the process of releasing Epstein-related documents.
The organization said in a statement, “The First Lady is placing this burden on victims in a political environment where powerful institutions like the Justice Department, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Trump administration have yet to fully implement the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”