Melania Trump held a White House press conference today where she denied being friends with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Many people thought she was trying to avoid a big news story that was coming out, but instead of facing questions, she asked Congress to hold public hearings where Epstein’s survivors could tell their stories under oath.
This might have sounded kind to some of her supporters, but the survivors didn’t agree.
Within hours, 15 of Epstein’s survivors made a strong statement saying that Melania’s plan was just a way to change the focus. They said it was not about helping the survivors, but about making the story about the victims telling their stories again, instead of holding the powerful people accountable.
The statement said, “Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown great courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony.”
They added, “Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice.”
They are right.
These women already told their stories in court, under oath, at a big personal cost. Powerful men with expensive lawyers tried to make them look untrustworthy. Melania’s plan asks them to do it again, this time in a political setting, even though the Trump administration hasn’t followed the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The survivors made it clear who they were targeting: “The First Lady is now shifting the burden onto survivors under politicized conditions that protect those with power: The Department of Justice, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Trump Administration, which has still not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”
Then there’s Pam Bondi, the former Attorney General who is ignoring a congressional subpoena, who weakened the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and who Rep. Robert Garcia accused of hiding Epstein files and putting survivors in danger.
The survivors directly named her: Bondi “must answer for withheld files and the exposure of survivors’ identities.
These failures continue to put lives at risk while shielding enablers.”
Real justice for Epstein’s survivors would be the full, unredacted Epstein files released to the public as required by law.
It would be Pam Bondi giving a deposition under oath on April 14th instead of hiding behind the DOJ. It would be the Trump administration following the Epstein Files Transparency Act. And it would be the people who helped Epstein, not the victims, being forced to answer questions in public.
Melania Trump may or may not have good intentions.
But the survivors have already done their part. They have shown courage. They have told their stories. Now it’s time for those in charge to do theirs.
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Melania is just as criminally negligent as her evil spouse and should be held accountable. However, she did call for accountability, unlike the orange powder puff puppet master— that’s one point in her favor, though only one.