Epstein survivors criticize Melania Trump’s statement - BERITAJA

A group of Jeffrey Epstein‘s survivors are criticizing a statement made by Melania Trump connected Thursday, successful which she denied immoderate narration pinch some Epstein and his long-time associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. She besides accused immoderate media outlets and individuals of attempting to sully her reputation.

Towards the extremity of her statement, Trump called upon Congress to supply the women who person been victimized by Epstein “with a nationalist proceeding specifically centred about the survivors.”

“Give these victims their opportunity to attest nether oath successful beforehand of Congress pinch the powerfulness of sworn testimony,” she said.

In a associated consequence to media connected Friday, survivors of Epstein based on they had “shown bonzer courageousness by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony.”

They accused Trump of shifting the load of blasted onto Epstein’s victims.

“Asking much of them now is simply a deflection of responsibility, not justice,” the survivors’ connection says.

“It besides diverts attraction from [former lawyer general] Pam Bondi, who must reply for withheld files and the vulnerability of survivors’ identities,” it went on.

“Those failures proceed to put lives astatine consequence while shielding enablers. Survivors person done their part. Now it’s clip for those successful powerfulness to do theirs,” the connection concluded.

Trump, connected Thursday, had accused individuals, whom she says are lying about her alleged ties to Epstein, of being ignorant, “devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect.”

“I cull their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation,” she said.

“The mendacious smears about maine from mean-spirited and politically motivated individuals and entities looking to origin harm to my bully sanction to summation financially and climb politically must stop.”

She said she and her husband, U.S. President Donald Trump, knew Epstein and his erstwhile associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, because they ran successful the aforesaid societal circles, but insisted they were not friends and only ever communicated done “casual correspondence,” and reiterated that she was not a unfortunate of the precocious activity offender.

“I americium not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not present maine to Donald Trump. I met my husband, by chance, astatine a New York City statement successful 1998. This first brushwood pinch my hubby is documented successful item successful my book, Melania,” Trump said.

She went connected to contradict ever having immoderate knowledge of Epstein’s misconduct, and said immoderate associations made betwixt them were “false.”

It is unclear what prompted Trump’s statement.

Her connection comes arsenic the Trump management continues to look disapproval since the rollout of the Epstein files began successful December.

Department officials person defended their handling of the files, saying they took pains to merchandise them arsenic quickly arsenic imaginable nether the rule while besides protecting victims. Officials person said errors were inevitable fixed the measurement of the materials, the number of lawyers viewing the files and the velocity astatine which the section had to merchandise them.

The section has said it’s entitled to withhold records that exposed imaginable maltreatment victims, were duplicates aliases protected by ineligible privileges, aliases related to an ongoing criminal investigation.

Survivors person agelong campaigned for U.S. lawmakers to clasp Epstein accountable, for their time successful tribunal and for the merchandise of the Epstein Files. In November, a group of them said successful Washington, D.C., up of a House ballot to unit the Justice Department to merchandise each of its files.

During their appearance, Haley Robson, who says Epstein abused her arsenic a teenager, urged elected officials to reside intersexual misconduct against underage girls and women, sloppy of statement lines.

“I americium begging each personnel of Congress, each representative, to measurement up and take the chaos. Choose the survivors, take the children, protect the children. All children. You protect each of america equally,” she said.

–– With files from BERITAJA’ Katie Scott