Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly said she was “dumbfounded” by first lady Melania Trump’s public statement about her ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
During Thursday’s appearance on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” Kelly questioned why Melania chose to speak out now, asking, “Why did she do that?” She further analyzed the timing of the statement and the impact on her show.
Earlier, Melania issued a rare strongly worded statement denying any relationship with Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Read more: Megyn Kelly slams Gavin Newsom’s ‘crazy’ wife over sister’s death
Kelly questions timing, intent
Kelly said she was “dumbfounded” by the decision to reopen the discussion around Epstein, noting that the issue had not been in the headlines recently. She said, “Why did she do that?”
She continued, “That’s really the question everyone is asking. Why? Everyone in PR knows that once a storm passes, you don’t do anything to recover from it.”
She later commented on Melania’s presence in the media over the years, saying: “I don’t know, but I do know that it’s weird that this woman who has been familiar with the media for ten years, who hasn’t been at the center of the storm, decided to make herself the center of the storm.”
She further added, “If she doesn’t want people to talk about her relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell… then she shouldn’t be talking about her relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell or Jeffrey Epstein, especially when — is this in the news? Have any of you seen it in the news? The news right now is non-stop Iran.”
She said the statement could be a response to resurfaced archival material, such as a report on emails from the early 2000s, or it could be a strategic move, but she did not draw a firm conclusion.
Kelly also speculated that the speech may be a strategic move to divert public attention from the US-Iraq war. “Is this an attempt to distract from Iran? Like, are they using Epstein to distract from Iran and then using Iran to distract from Epstein?” she said.
“We’re all scratching our heads. It’s so weird,” Kelly said.
Melania Trump makes rare public denial
In a statement earlier this week, Melania Trump dismissed the accusations linking her to Epstein as “false” and “politically motivated.” She also called attention to the victims of Epstein’s abuse during her speech.
She said: “Those who lied to me lacked moral standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but I object to their malicious slander of my reputation. I have never been a friend of Epstein.”
She stressed that she had no involvement in Epstein’s activities and denied that Epstein played any role in her introduction to President Donald Trump.
She said: “I was not a victim of Epstein. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a party in New York City in 1998. That first encounter with my husband is well documented in my book.”
