As President Trump has made concerted efforts over the last few years to distance himself from his past business associate, billionaire and accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein has been bragging that he introduced President Trump and the first lady.

According to a New York Times report about the business and social ties between Trump and Epstein, the wealthy political financier has been telling people since Trump was elected president that he was the reason Trump and Melania Trump first met.

Melania Trump has only ever said that she and Trump met when the then-real estate mogul asked for her phone number at the Kit Kat Club in 1998 during Fashion Week.

Epstein was charged in Manhattan on Monday with running a sex trafficking ring with underage girls in the early 2000s. Epstein’s political ties run deep and have come under increased scrutiny since the charges were dropped earlier this week. Former President Bill Clinton was known to have a long-running friendship with Epstein as well, but a spokesperson told the media earlier this week that Clinton was unaware of his crimes.

Trump downplayed his past relationship with Epstein while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. He said he wasn’t a “fan” of the billionaire and said the two had a dispute more than 15 years ago and hadn’t talked since.