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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Political commentator and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has said that first lady Melania Trump is breaking with President Donald Trump after her surprise statement on Thursday denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and calling for Congress to hold a public hearing.
In a televised message on Thursday, Melania Trump called on Congress to "act" because Epstein "was not alone."
"Trump's own wife came out in an unannounced press conference today and said the Epstein crimes are real and that she wants the victims to be in front of Congress and the cover-up to end, that's the opposite of what Trump is saying," Jones, who is among conservatives calling for Donald Trump’s removal from office over his threats to Iran, said in a video posted on X.
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"It looks to me like she’s breaking with Trump because she knows the ship is sinking, has found out the truth," he said.
In the video, Jones also responded to the president's attack on him and other conservative media figures who were once among his loudest supporters in response to their criticism of the war in Iran.
"I just feel sorry for him and pray that God touch his heart and soul and free him from the demonic influences that he's under," Jones said.
Why It Matters
It was not clear what prompted the first lady to make the statement, but it came as the president and his administration had finally seemed to move past more than a year of controversy surrounding Epstein, a convicted sex offender who leveraged connections to the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes. Epstein killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in New York.
Trump dismissed the issue as a "Democrat hoax" but later signed a bill to release files from Epstein’s case. The issue has driven a wedge into Trump’s MAGA base as some have called for the government to release more files and prosecute figures linked to Epstein.
Melania Trump's speech sent shock waves across the political spectrum and will almost certainly push the issue back into the spotlight, even as the president has urged the public and media to move on.
What To Know
In his comments, Jones said Melania Trump is "definitely countermanding" the president.
"He's saying there's nothing to Epstein. She's saying there is, should be investigated. I stand with Melania Trump, and I stand with the truth."
Donald Trump said on Thursday that he didn't "know anything about" Melania Trump's speech.
"She didn’t know him," the president told MS NOW's Jacqueline Alemany, apparently referring to Epstein.
But a spokesperson for Melania Trump told The New York Times that the "president was aware that his wife was going to make a statement."
In her speech, she said she and her attorneys were fighting back against "unfound and baseless lies" in regards to her connections to Epstein.
"The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said. "The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation."
She said called on Congress to hold a public hearing centered on survivors, with the chance to testify before lawmakers and have their stories entered into the congressional record.
"Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record," she said. "Then, and only then, we will have the truth."
What People Are Saying
Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee that is investigating Epstein, wrote on X: "We agree with First Lady Melania Trump’s call for a public hearing with the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. We encourage Chairman Comer to respond to the First Lady’s request and schedule a public hearing immediately."
Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who sponsored a bill prompting the release of millions of Epstein documents, wrote on X: "First Lady asks Congress to bring Epstein survivors in for testimony. With all due respect, that’s @DAGToddBlanche’s job! @RepRoKhanna & I already gave brave survivors a chance to tell their horrific stories on Capitol Hill. @PamBondi wouldn’t even acknowledge them. PROSECUTE!"
Former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a onetime fierce Trump supporter who resigned from Congress after a public falling out with the president, wrote on X: "I am grateful to the First Lady for her brave statement today about Epstein and his victims. I agree with her that the victims should be heard. I also agree with Thomas Massie. The DOJ needs to PROSECUTE!!! And the role of Congress is to legislate, not prosecute."
Journalist Michael Tracey wrote on X: "This is gobsmacking. Not only did Melania Trump suddenly decide to give a televised address about Jeffrey Epstein, she's calling on Congress to 'act,' because Epstein was 'not alone.' So she just threw a giant stick of political dynamite on the issue her husband despises!"
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