Fact Check: Did Epstein victims who testified die as Juliette Bryant claimed after Melania's remark?
WASHINGTON, DC: In response to first Lady Melania Trump denying any ties to Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein survivor Juliette Bryant pushed back, claiming that many victims who testified against him have died, sparking speculation.
Let us analyse Bryant’s remark and fact-check the claim she made.
Claim: Many who testified against Jeffrey Epstein died
Criticizing Melania Trump's request for survivors to testify under oath, Juliette Bryant said in a video on X that many victims who had already testified are now dead.
She urged both the first lady and President Donald Trump to testify instead, noting it was now their turn.
Identifying herself as an Epstein survivor, Bryant said, "You want girls to testify under oath, well here I am testifying that everything I said is true. Unfortunately, a lot of the girls who testified died."
She then called on Melania to testify, saying, "Maybe it’s time that you and your husband testify too."
Fact Check: Only two Epstein victims died after giving their testimony
Two Epstein survivors have indeed died after giving their testimony against the disgraced financier; however, it is unknown whether their deaths and their testimonies are interlinked.
Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent Epstein survivors, died in April 2025.
In a statement on X in 2019, she explicitly declared that she was "in no way, shape or form", while responding to a user's claim that the FBI might target her to protect well-connected figures.
Carolyn Andriano, another Epstein survivor whose testimony proved crucial during the 2021 trial of Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell, died in May 2023 in a Florida hotel, and her death was ruled an accidental d**g overdose.
Hence, the claim that many victims who testified are now dead is exaggerated.
Melania Trump calls for a public hearing of Epstein survivors
Speaking briefly from the White House on April 9, Melania Trump used the moment to call on lawmakers to prioritize survivors, urging Congress to hold public hearings where victims can testify under oath.
“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes,” she said, adding that such testimony should be preserved in the Congressional record to establish the truth.
The statement marked a rare on-camera intervention by the first lady, known for her guarded public profile. Aides gathered at the White House to watch her remarks, with some reportedly unaware in advance of her decision to address the controversy.
Her comments came amid heightened scrutiny around the Epstein case, including a dispute involving the Justice Department and Congress over testimony linked to the investigation.
