Melania: Desperate to Distance Herself From Epstein

For months the Felon has been trying desperately to change the news coverage and political conversations from the Epstein files.  Back in February he said it was "time to move on" to other topics.  Indeed cynics would argue that every time coverage trended back to the topic of Epstein, the Felon would invoke new tariffs or do other things to distract the media and change the narrative.  Thus, many were surprised, if not totally stunned, that yesterday Melania Trump did a press conference and sought to distance herself from both Epstein and his accomplice, Maxwell, and called for congressional hearings for the victims of Epstein and his wealthy friends. Shockingly - and probably disingenuously - when asked about Melania's press conference he at first said he knew nothing about it. Meanwhile, many are wondering if another shoe is about to drop and whether Melania was seeking to get ahead of whatever story could be coming.  A piece at the New Republic noted as follows:

On Thursday, Melania Trump tried to deny having any connections to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, but the internet quickly produced receipts. . . . .  Why would Melania Trump say all of this now, out of the blue? Some on social media are speculating that she is trying to get ahead of a major upcoming revelation connecting her to Epstein. . . . .Melania’s remarks will likely draw more attention to the Epstein files, which had been pushed out of the news cycle thanks to the war with Iran. One wonders what the president thinks about her remarks, and whether they are by design.

Perhaps the Felon has tired of hearing that we have witnessed another TACO incident with the supposed Iran  ceasefire, but it's hard to think of a topic he'd rather keep out of public attention more than the Epstein files. A piece in the New York Times reports on the surprising press conference:

Melania Trump summoned reporters to the White House Thursday afternoon to give a surprise statement about Jeffrey Epstein, saying she had no relationship with him, was not a victim of his and had no knowledge of his crimes.

In remarks that lasted just under six minutes, she said she wanted to clear “my good name.” She addressed rumors about the origin story of how she met her husband, the president of the United States. And she called on Congress to give a hearing to victims of Mr. Epstein’s crimes.

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” Mrs. Trump said. She talked about “numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me” that “have been percolating on social media for years now.”

It was not clear why she chose to speak out now, or to what reports she was referring.

A spokesperson for Mrs. Trump said the president knew that the first lady planned to make a statement, but later said it was not clear if Mr. Trump was aware of the topic of her remarks. In a phone call with an MS Now reporter, Mr. Trump said he had no prior knowledge of what she had planned to say.

The first lady’s statement is sure to supercharge a narrative that the Trump administration has been struggling to make go away since last summer, when chunks of the MAGA base broke into open revolt against Mr. Trump over his handling of the Epstein investigation.

The scandal has burbled all year, the president’s supporters refusing to move on from it no matter how many times he instructs them to. Just last week, Pam Bondi lost her job as attorney general in part over her failure to contain the furor. She is still tangled up in it.

What Mrs. Trump said on Thursday may have been designed to clear her own name, but it certainly won’t help the West Wing escape its Epstein troubles.

The hydra-headed Epstein scandal has ensnared so many people who’ve walked the halls of the White House that the first lady seemed intent on setting herself apart.

“I was never on Epstein’s plane,” she insisted, “and never visited his private island.”

The same cannot be said for her husband, whose name appeared on the flight logs for Mr. Epstein’s plane several times, or for the commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, who acknowledged in a Senate hearing earlier this year that he’d traveled to Mr. Epstein’s island.

And so there the first lady stood on Thursday, trying to distance herself from all things Epstein. She slammed those who would peddle “false smears” against her . . . .In recent months, Mr. Trump has tried to dismiss the Epstein controversy. He told the country it’s time to “move on” and snapped at a reporter who asked him what his message would be to Mr. Epstein’s victims.

On Thursday, his wife struck a different tone: “Every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes.”

And then she turned on her stiletto heels and stalked out as the dazed reporters started shouting after her: “Why now!? Why now!?”