'The opposite is true': Canadian Journalist Mark Slapinski questions Melania Trump's Epstein claims

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday made an unexpected appearance in a White House address to quash claims of her being associated with deceased child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. While calling for a congressional hearing for the survivors of Epstein's illegal operations, Melania told reporters that any claims linking her with the convicted criminal should "end today." Despite her strong statement, Canadian journalist Mark Slapinski dismissed Melania's claims, alleging that whatever she says, the opposite is always the truth. 

In a surprise announcement, the First Lady shared a strong-worded statement denying all online rumours that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump, calling them "mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation." While the White House did not share the topic when her remarks were put on its daily schedule, Melania made the subject loud and clear in her statement. "I am not Epstein's victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump," she said. She elaborated that she only met Donald Trump by chance at a party in New York City, discarding the online speculations. 

The Epstein files that were released by the Department of Justice earlier this year contained a brief email exchange between Melania Trump and Epstein's partner, Ghislaine Maxwell. Although the names of both the sender and recipient were redacted, it was later revealed that the email was signed  "Love, Melania." While the First Lady clarified that her "polite reply to her email doesn't amount to anything more than a trivial note," her claims were met with further speculation, as Slapinski outright dismissed them as false. Sharing a clip from Trump's address, he wrote: "Remember, whenever these people say something, the opposite is true."  

Melania's statements come as the Trump administration appears to be losing control of its preferred narrative amid the President's outbursts and threats over the war in Iran. In her statement, the First Lady elaborated that she only met Epstein for the first time in 2000, at a party she went to with her husband, when she was known as Melania Knauss. "I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings," she said. "Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe," she added. 

Melania added that she had never been friends with Epstein, and she only sometimes came into contact with him with her then-boyfriend, Donald Trump, in social circles in Florida and New York. "The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said, without pointing to the specific rumours or allegations. She additionally called on lawmakers to "give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony." The request was welcomed by congressional leaders, with Robert Garcia of California, a ranking member of the House committee on oversight, saying, "We agree with First Lady Melania Trump's call for a public hearing with the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein." Garcia further urged Chairman of the committee, James Comer, to respond to the First Lady's request, The Guardian reported.