\n<\/p>\n
More than a dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s<\/a> abuse have accused Melania Trump<\/a> of \u201cshifting the burden\u201d on to them after she called on Congress to hold public hearings with victims of Epstein\u2019s abuse.<\/p>\n \u201cSurvivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony,\u201d said a group of 13 people and the brother and sister of the late Virginia Giuffre, who was one of the most vocal Epstein accusers, in a statement<\/a>. \u201cAsking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility not justice.\u201d<\/p>\n Their response came after the first lady delivered a surprise statement<\/a> in which she denied<\/a> she ever had a relationship with Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell<\/a>. She also said that she was not a victim of Epstein, had no knowledge of his crimes, and that the late convicted sex offender did not introduce her to her husband, Donald Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> need to end today,\u201d she said, adding that \u201cnumerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been calculating [sic] on social media for years now\u201d.<\/p>\n It remains unclear what specific accusations prompted her remarks. Her senior adviser, Marc Beckman, told Reuters<\/a> that she \u201cspoke out now because enough is enough. The lies must stop.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview with the New York Times<\/a> on Friday, the president said he hadn\u2019t known what the first lady was planning to speak about in her statement, but said that she had wanted to address questions about her connections with Epstein. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what the statement was,\u201d he said, adding \u201cshe had a right to talk about it\u201d.<\/p>\n During her statement, the first lady also urged Congress to hold public hearings and take sworn testimony from survivors of Epstein\u2019s crimes.<\/p>\n In their statement on Thursday evening, the group of Epstein survivors said the first lady \u201cis now shifting the burden on to survivors under politicized conditions that protect those with power: the Department of Justice, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Trump administration, which has still not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt also diverts attention from Pam Bondi, who must answer for withheld files and the exposure of survivors\u2019 identities,\u201d they said. \u201cThose failures continue to put lives at risk while shielding enablers.<\/p>\n \u201cSurvivors have done their part,\u201d the statement concluded. \u201cNow it\u2019s time for those in power to do theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this week, the Department of Justice said<\/a> that Bondi would not comply with a subpoena to appear next week for a scheduled deposition before the House oversight and government reform committee to answer questions about the justice department\u2019s handling of the investigation into Epstein and its release of the Epstein files.<\/p>\n In a separate statement on Thursday, Maria and Annie Farmer, two survivors of Epstein\u2019s abuse, said that \u201cwe can\u2019t speak for other survivors, but what we want is accountability, transparency, and justice\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe federal government has long mismanaged the Epstein investigation by repeatedly ignoring survivors, violating their privacy, and refusing to release the remaining records held by the Department of Justice \u2013 including my complete FBI records from 1996,\u201d they said. \u201cIf the federal government is truly committed to supporting survivors, it would ask us what we want and should follow the facts wherever they may lead.\u201d<\/p>\n The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment in response to the survivors\u2019 statements.<\/p>\n Marina Lacerda, one of the survivors who signed Thursday\u2019s group statement, also posted a video<\/a> on social media, where she said: \u201cWe\u2019re supposed to testify in front of Congress under oath? For what? Please tell us the reason why. Will it change anything? Will people be held accountable?<\/p>\n \u201cWe had the transparency act passed, we had the files dropped, we\u2019ve got names in the files, nobody has done nothing,\u201d she said. \u201cBut yet, you want to re-traumatize us and ask us to go in front of Congress to tell them our story, which we have told some of them already, so now you want us to tell them again \u2026 and then do absolutely nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n