From BBC News.

In a rare public address on Thursday, the US First Lady Melania Trump denied having any connections to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, telling reporters at the White House that claims linking her to them "need to end today". She also denied online rumours that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump, calling them "mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation".

She referred to a 2002 email between her and Maxwell released in the Epstein files, calling it nothing more than "casual correspondence" and a "polite reply".

The First Lady called for congressional hearings, where survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking could testify.

It is unclear what prompted her announcement. President Trump’s name is mentioned more than 6,000 times in the Epstein files but there is no indication of wrongdoing by the Trumps.

Addressing the Epstein files earlier this year, President Trump said "I think it’s really time for the country to get onto something else now."

We speak to the BBC’s reporter in Washington, Bernd Debusmann, who attended the First Lady’s speech.

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