Fox’s Jacqui Heinrich Ponders Timing of Melania’s Epstein Presser: Is There a Story ‘About to Come Out?’

Melania Trump’s shocking statement Thursday on her connection to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein drew speculation as to why she brought up the subject now while most news outlets have been laser-focused on the Iran war.

During her five minute statement, the first lady accused “mean-spirited” people of attempting to defame her reputation by associating her with Epstein and his cohort Ghislaine Maxwell.

“I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, Maxwell,” Melania said.

Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich said she’s been trying to get answers from the White House about what precipitated Thursday’s event.

“We’ve been trying to understand why she made it today, if there was something that she is reacting to that might already be in the news that has upset her, or if there’s a story that’s yet to come out, that’s about to drop, and she wanted to get ahead of, because it did feel like it came out of left field for us,” Heinrich said.

She continued:

The Epstein story writ large has not been above the fold, so to speak, for quite a while. I mean, the attention here has been on other matters. And we knew that as of yesterday she was going to make a statement to the public that reporters would be able to broadcast, report on. We didn’t know what the subject area would be, you got no heads up ahead of time, and even now reaching out to her office, they’re not giving us any background or context, saying they will let her comments stand on their own. The White House press shop, you know for the president’s team, who we cover primarily, also don’t have anything they can share with us. I’m unclear if the president was aware she would be making the statement, honestly.

We’re trying to figure that out but she was very clear she wants to clear her name basically about these lies that are linking her to Epstein. She said that she met her husband by chance at a party. And it was interesting to me that she was addressing this controversy. It’s just not something that she usually does. And it’s certainly not something we were tracking every day. The only recent story involving Epstein that sort of fell to the surface was that Pam Bondi wouldn’t be testifying before Congress because she is no longer the attorney general.

Heinrich added, “But in recent weeks, there’s not been focus on this, and we’re still trying to figure out why she made the statement today. I’ve called every contact in my phone including the president, and not gotten any answers.”

President Donald Trump has famously called any ties between him and Epstein’s criminal enterprise a “Democrat hoax.”

Watch the clip above via The Will Cain Show on Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!