Rep. Robert Garcia Responds to Melania Trump’s Epstein Statement and Urges Further Cooperation

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 02:38:00 +0200

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), a member of the Congressional Oversight Committee, criticized First Lady Melania Trump’s unexpected press event regarding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. During the event, Melania Trump sought to distance herself from Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, while calling for a congressional hearing on behalf of Epstein’s victims. Garcia, speaking on MS Now, suggested that if the First Lady genuinely wants to aid the investigation, she could encourage her husband, former President Donald Trump, to release all related Epstein files and ensure testimony from key figures such as Pam Bondi. He noted that the First Lady's efforts appeared to create a public separation between her and her husband’s administration, but he questioned whether the facts fully support this distancing. Garcia also highlighted prior publicized communications between Melania and Maxwell in 2002, indicating a potentially closer relationship than suggested in the press event