The family of Virginia Giuffre, a woman who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her as a teenager, released a statement on Wednesday night expressing outrage about President Trump’s recent remarks about her, in which he confirmed an account that Mr. Epstein had hired her away from her job in the spa at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club in Florida.
On Tuesday, while answering questions from reporters, Mr. Trump said that Mr. Epstein “stole” Ms. Giuffre from Mar-a-Lago while she was working there as a spa attendant. Ms. Giuffre has long maintained that Ghislaine Maxwell, Mr. Epstein’s longtime associate, met her at the club and recruited her to serve as a masseuse for Mr. Epstein, but Mr. Trump’s comments on Air Force One appeared to be the first time he had personally confirmed her story.
Ms. Giuffre died by suicide in April, and her family’s statement said that Mr. Trump’s remarks raised questions about his knowledge of the crimes committed by Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell. Ms. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison term for exploiting and abusing underage women. Mr. Epstein died in jail while facing similar charges.
“It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been ‘stolen’ from Mar-a-Lago,” the family said. “It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal actions, especially given his statement two years later that his good friend Jeffrey ‘likes women on the younger side … no doubt about it.’ We and the public are asking for answers; survivors deserve this.”
The family’s statement came just days after Ms. Maxwell and her lawyer met with Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general and one of Mr. Trump’s former defense lawyers, to discuss what she knew about the case. The extraordinary meeting between the Justice Department’s No. 2 official and a convicted sex trafficker took place amid a firestorm of criticism from some of Mr. Trump’s supporters who have been pressuring the president to release more information about the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Epstein.
Ms. Giuffre’s family criticized the meeting, warning that Ms. Maxwell has a long history of lying about the case.
“If our sister could speak today, she would be most angered by the fact that the government is listening to a known perjurer,” they said. “A woman who repeatedly lied under oath and will continue to do so as long as it benefits her position.”
Mr. Trump’s remarks on Air Force One elaborated on his claim a day earlier that he had blacklisted Mr. Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he had hired away some of Mr. Trump’s employees. White House aides had previously said that Mr. Trump barred Mr. Epstein from the club “for being a creep.”
Alan Feuer covers extremism and political violence for The Times, focusing on the criminal cases involving the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and against former President Donald J. Trump.
Matthew Goldstein is a Times reporter who covers Wall Street and white-collar crime and housing issues.
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