Melania Trump Film Director Photographed with Epstein

This concerns Brett Ratner, the Hollywood director who made the film «Melania» about her preparations to return to the White House as first lady. Photographs released as part of the latest batch of Epstein documents show Ratner on a couch with Epstein, who is embracing a young woman.

The images were published a day after the film«s premiere, which marked Ratner»s comeback after sexual harassment allegations brought against him by six women in 2017. According to media reports, the photos with Epstein were taken about two decades ago. Those familiar with the situation assert that Ratner no longer met with Epstein.

In one image, the woman Ratner is embracing is said to have been his then-fiancée. Another photo shows Ratner with Epstein, three other women, and French model scout Jean-Luc Brunel, who died in prison in 2022 while awaiting trial on charges of raping minors.

Ratner«s career stalled after the allegations, despite his previous success with the «Rush Hour» franchise and the blockbuster «X-Men: The Last Stand». He was later hired to direct a film about Melania Trump, with her listed as a producer. According to media reports, Amazon paid $40 million for the documentary and spent another $35 million on promotion, which critics called a $75 million «bribe» to win favor with the Trump administration.

On social media, Ratner thanked Melania «for the opportunity to collaborate and the trust to bring her vision to life». A source close to the film«s production said the photos are «deeply embarrassing» for Melania and risk overshadowing the film itself.

Another source familiar with the Epstein documents said the images heighten concerns about the «normalization» of his circle, where powerful men often posed with very young women without consequences.

Donald Trump, commenting on the document release aboard Air Force One, said they «vindicate» him. He added that he is considering a lawsuit against writer Michael Wolff and the Epstein estate, claiming Wolff consulted Epstein on statements about Trump. «Wolff, who is a third-rate writer, conspired with Jeffrey Epstein to harm me politically or otherwise», Trump said.

On Sunday, Trump«s former attorney, Todd Blanche, now Deputy Attorney General, stated that the Department of Justice believes the Epstein documents do not warrant further prosecution. «We have released over three and a half million pages, and the whole world can see if we made a mistake», Blanche said, adding that while the materials include «many horrible photos», they do not necessarily meet the threshold for criminal charges.