yahoo news | Epstein Victim Makes Bombshell Claim About Melania Speech

Survivors of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were taken aback on Thursday when First Lady Melania Trump publicly denied any friendship with him and urged Congress to let victims testify under oath. In a brief statement, she said she wanted to “clear my good name” and called for a permanent congressional record of each woman’s testimony. The surprise remarks prompted immediate backlash from survivors such as Marina Lacerda, who accused the first lady of shifting attention away from the ongoing fight for justice and of retraumatizing victims by demanding they relive their abuse in a political arena.

A coalition of Epstein survivors responded with an open letter criticizing the timing and tone of Melania’s comments. They highlighted the incomplete release of the Epstein Files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act—only about half of the estimated six million documents were made public, many with redacted names—calling the first lady’s demand for further testimony a deflection of responsibility. The survivors, including Marina Lacerda, Maria and Anna Farmer, demanded genuine accountability, the full release of remaining records, and a commitment from the Department of Justice and other authorities to protect victims rather than protect powerful allies.

Democratic lawmakers echoed the survivors’ concerns, with House Oversight Committee Chair Melanie Stansbury noting that the push for public hearings has been ongoing for years and that officials such as former Attorney General Pam Bondi have yet to be fully interrogated. While acknowledging Melania’s willingness to weigh in, they stressed that the focus should be on law‑enforcement actions and prosecutorial accountability, not on forcing victims to repeatedly recount their trauma. The article concludes that the controversy underscores a broader “miscarriage of justice” that survivors and some members of Congress say remains unaddressed.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/epstein-victim-makes-bombshell-claim-about-melania-trumps-speech/

#marinalacerda #melaniatrump #jeffreyepstein #mariafarmer #departmentofjustice