What we know about Melania Trump and Jeffrey Epstein

While it is not immediately clear what prompted first lady Melania Trump's remarks about Jeffrey Epstein Thursday afternoon, she has previously been aggressive in pushing back on reports and allegations linking her to the late sex offender and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Melania Trump categorically denied the allegation that Epstein introduced her to President Donald Trump and said that she had no knowledge of Epstein and Maxwell's crimes.

In her remarks, the first lady said "the lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today" and called for public hearings into the Epstein controversy and to allow survivors to testify before Congress.

Here is what we know about Melania Trump's limited connections to Epstein and Maxwell:

Maxwell and Melania Trump exchanged emails in 2002

In one email released by the Department of Justice earlier this year, Melania Trump appeared to compliment Maxwell about a story in New York Magazine profiling Epstein.

"Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great on the picture. I know you are very busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY," Melania appeared to write, signing the email, "Love, Melania."

The sender of the email was redacted in the files released by the Department of Justice, though Melania appeared to address the exchange during her remarks on Thursday.

"My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence," Melania Trump said. "My polite reply to her email doesn't amount to anything more than a [trivial] note."

In that October 2002 story, Trump was quoted as saying that Epstein is a "terrific guy" and that he has known him for 15 years.

"He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it - Jeffrey enjoys his social life," Trump is quoted in the article.

In a later email, Maxwell appeared to address Melania as "Sweet Pea" and apologized for changing plans and no longer being able to see her.

"Sweet pea - thanks for your message. Actually plans changed again and I am now on my way back to NY. I leave again on Fri so I still do not think I have time to see you sadly. I will try and call though," she wrote.

Attorneys for Melania Trump say reporting on her alleged ties to Epstein is defamatory

The files released by the Department of Justice also included multiple emails between Epstein and journalist Michael Wolff, who is actively engaged in civil litigation with Melania Trump about his Epstein reporting.

In a letter to Wolff last year, an attorney for Melania Trump listed a series of statements attributed to Wolff that she alleged were defamatory, according to court records.

"These false, disparaging, defamatory, and inflammatory statements are extremely salacious and have been widely disseminated throughout various digital mediums, which have reached tens of millions of people worldwide," the letter said, threatening legal action for more than a billion dollars in damages.

Melania Trump has previously shared on social media a statement from the Daily Beast about retracting a story based on Wolff's claims.

During her remarks on Thursday, Melania Trump vowed that her attorneys would continue to challenge similar claims.

"My attorneys and Ihave fought these unfounded and baseless lies with success and will continue to maintainmy sound reputation without hesitation," Melania Trump said, citing retractions by the Daily Beast, Harper's Collins, and political consultant James Carville.

Wolff responded to the letter by filing a complaint in New York against Melania Trump last October, alleging that the "threatened legal actions" against him and others are "designed to create a climate of fear in the nation so that people cannot freely or confidently exercise their First Amendment rights." The litigation is ongoing.

Donald and Melania Trump were in the same social circles as Epstein in the early 2000s

Melania Trump acknowledged in her remarks that she and Donald Trump "were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach."

Melania and Donald Trump were photographed with Epstein and Maxwell at least once during a February 2000 event at Mar-a-Lago.

However, Donald and Melania Trump appeared to have limited, if any, contact with Epstein after their marriage in 2005. Trump has said he severed ties with Epstein around 2004.

Following Epstein's arrest in 2019, Trump told reporters at the White House that he and Epstein had "a falling out a long time ago."

"The reason doesn't make any difference, frankly. But I haven't spoken to him in probably 15 years or more. I wasn't a big fan of Jeffrey Epstein, that I can tell you," Trump said.