'To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell: Melania Trump

First Lady of United States, Melania Trump, has dismissed claims linking her to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, calling the allegations false and defamatory in a rare public statement issued on Thursday. "The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said in remarks delivered from the White House. Melania Trump said she had never had any relationship with Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, adding that her interaction with Maxwell was limited to casual correspondence. She made it clear that she had "never had a relationship" with Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, adding that any interaction was limited to brief encounters in shared social settings. "I never been friends with Epstein," she said, noting that overlapping appearances at events in New York and Palm Beach were not unusual at the time.