Some folks at the White House ain’t happy about Melania Trump‘s Thursday statement in which she denied having any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new report.

A handful of officials were “stunned by the timing” of the First Lady’s remarks, according to a Thursday tweet from CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes.

She explained … “One official said there was disagreement among those close to Melania Trump as to whether or not to go through with the remarks, given that the story had died down.” But, the source noted Melania saw the stories still circulating and “wanted to go on the record with a firm denial.”

We covered the shocking statement Thursday — President Donald Trump‘s wife spoke on camera from the White House Thursday evening to flat-out deny she was ever friends with the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender or his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. She also said she had no knowledge of their crimes.

As for the frequent run-ins with the Epstein and Maxwell, Melania said they were simply invited to some of the same parties.

Melania also encouraged Congress to hold a public hearing to gather testimony from Epstein’s survivors.

As you know, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee already had former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton give depositions regarding their knowledge about and relationships with Epstein and Maxwell in February … but the Trumps have not been questioned.

Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 on state charges for soliciting sex from a minor and served a year in jail. In 2019, he was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges and was found dead by suicide in his cell while awaiting trial.