Melania Trump hits back at media ‘assumptions’ after indictment

Melania Trump has fired back at “assumptions” being made in the media after her absence from her husband’s arrest and post-arraignment speech hit headlines across the globe.

The former first lady released a statement through her office on Tuesday morning hitting out at the use of “unnamed sources” in reports about her “personal, professional, and political” viewpoints and urging readers to “exercise caution and good judgment”.

“News organizations have made assumptions about the former First Lady’s stance on subjects that are personal, professional, and political over the past few weeks. In these articles, unnamed sources are cited to bolster the author’s claims,” the statement reads.

“We ask readers to exercise caution and good judgment when determining whether or not stories concerning the former First Lady are accurate, particularly when they fail to cite Mrs. Trump as a source of information.”

Melania has kept a low profile in the week since her former president Donald Trump was arrested and charged with 34 felonies.

In a historic day for America, Mr Trump was arrested and arraigned on criminal charges in New York on 4 April.

According to Manhattan prosecutors, Mr Trump and his former fixer Michael Cohen carried out a “catch and kill” scheme in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

Cohen allegedly made hush money payments on Mr Trump’s behalf to suppress negative information about him by silencing individuals over alleged affairs he had with women.

Mr Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election,” the charging documents read.

Three specific alleged affairs and hush money payments were mentioned in the charging documents – a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, a $150,000 to former playboy model Karen McDougal and a $30,000 payment to a doorman at Trump Tower who claimed he had information that Mr Trump had fathered a child with a woman while married to Melania Trump.

Mr Trump then allegedly reimbursed Cohen but falsely recorded the payments as legal fees.

Each of the 34 criminal charges relates to an individual entry in the Trump Organization’s business records.

Cohen has already served jail time for his part in the hush money case and has now become prosecutor’s star witness in the case against Mr Trump.

On 4 April, Mr Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal illegal activity connected to his 2016 presidential campaign.

He surrendered to Manhattan authorities that afternoon and appeared in court for his arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan – the same judge who sentenced the Trump Organization and its CFO last year.

Cutting a glum figure, he defiantly pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

He then flew immediately back to Florida to deliver a speech attacking the charges, the judge and the DA from his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Melania did not accompany Mr Trump to New York for his historic arrest and arraignment.

And she was then notably absent from his speech at Mar-a-Lago that evening – despite living on the grounds of the estate and despite most of the former president’s family members attending in a show of support.

Mr Trump also neglected to mention his wife when he paid tribute to each of his children in the speech.

Melania’s absence sparked speculation – especially given the fact that her husband’s charges are in relation to alleged affairs he had while married to her.

Her former aide Stephanie Winston Wolkoff told Page Six that her silence was intentional.

“Melania lives in an ivory tower of denial,” she said.

“Her silence is deliberate, it is her weapon of choice and her protective armour.”

She finally broke her silence for the first time since her husband’s arrest on Sunday to post a simple “Happy Easter” message to her social media followers. She then joined her husband in the Mar-a-Lago ballroom for an Easter brunch.

This marked her first public appearance since the day he was indicted on criminal charges – when the couple stepped out for dinner in Mar-a-Lago in an apparent show of support.