Melania Trump's Epstein Case: Says 'Stay away from lies linking me to a convicted sex offender', calls on Congress to hold hearings for victims

US First Lady Melania Trump in a statement from the White House on Thursday hit out at the "lie linking me to the disgraced Jeffrey Epstein". He tried to distance himself from the convicted sex offender. At the same time, Melania Trump requested Congress to hold a hearing in which the victims could testify on Capitol Hill. Melania Trump told reporters: "I've never been a friend of Epstein's. Donald and I were invited to parties similar to Epstein's from time to time, as it is common in New York City and Palm Beach for social circles to be connected. Melania Trump has called on Congress to provide a platform for Epstein's victims to testify on Capitol Hill. "I urge Congress to provide a public hearing for Epstein's victims and allow these victims to testify under oath before Congress, so that their testimony has the full legal force of the sworn testimony," he said. "Every woman should have the right to tell her story in public if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently recorded in the congressional record." Former Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who was fired partly because of her handling of the Epstein files, was asked to apologize to Epstein's victims during a congressional hearing in February, but she refused to do so. Melania Trump also tried to downplay her relationship with Maxwell, who was an associate of Epstein and was convicted of sex trafficking. In February, CNN asked her office about a 2002 amicable email conversation between the two women — which was made public as part of documents related to the Epstein investigation — but received no response. Trump signed the email with "Love, Melania" written on it, and Maxwell responded by calling it "Sweet pea". Melania also stressed on Thursday that she was unaware of Epstein's crimes despite their social relationships. "I was never aware of the atrocities committed by [Epstein] on his victims. I wasn't involved in this in any way. I was not a participant in it. I've never been on Epstein's plane and never visited his private island," he said, describing his actions as "disgusting." US President Donald Trump's name has been mentioned more than 38,000 times in the Epstein files. The record mentions 7-8 trips by Epstein's private jet in the 1990s. He is also on the guest list of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. The investigation revealed that the network of sexual abuse was not confined to the United States. Epstein created an organized traffic network. So far, the names of wealthy people, leaders and international personalities from 15 countries have come to light. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in all the allegations involving Epstein. Earlier, the Justice Department had also said that some of the documents released contained "false and sensational claims" against Trump. Opposition Democratic leaders have accused the Trump administration of trying to hide some information related to the Epstein investigation, which could be harmful to Trump. Opposition Democratic Party leaders are questioning how the Trump administration is handling documents related to Epstein. Democrats allege that the Trump administration suppressed information related to the Epstein investigation that could have harmed Trump. A House committee voted to issue a notice to Attorney General Pam Bondi. They will have to answer in court. The woman also claims that she and those close to her had received several threatening phone calls in the past several years to keep quiet. The woman believes the call could be from people associated with Epstein. What is the full story of the Epstein case? It all started in 2005, when the mother of a 14-year-old girl in Florida filed a police complaint. It said that his daughter was invited to Epstein's luxurious home on the pretext of giving her a "massage", but after arriving there, she was forced to have a relationship. When the girl returned home and told her parents, they immediately lodged a police report. This was the first official complaint against Jeffrey Epstein. During the police investigation, it came to light that this was not an isolated incident. Eventually, about 50 minor girls were identified, who made similar allegations against Epstein. The Palm Beach Police Department took the matter seriously and investigated for several months. A criminal investigation was launched against Epstein. Epstein used to take underage girls to parties in his private jet, the "Lolita Express". He used to force them by luring them with money and jewellery as well as threatening them. Epstein's girlfriend and partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, also played a key role in the effort, although Epstein did not stay long in prison despite the initial investigation. Such was his dominance that in 2008, he was sentenced to only 13 months, during which he could work outside the jail.