Epstein's victims demand transparency at Washington press conference

At a two-hour press conference in Washington, up to 100 survivors of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted child sex-trafficking financier who committed suicide in 2019, shared harrowing testimonies and demanded the full release of case files.

Hosted by Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), the press conference endorsed the "Epstein Archives Transparency Act," a bipartisan bill to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all unclassified documents within 30 days, protecting the identities of victims.

Survivors described a "disturbing world" where they were tricked as teenagers for massage jobs and then sexually abused. Haley Robson, 16 at the time, recounted how she was forced to recruit more girls from her high school, paying her for each one she brought to Epstein. In addition, she said she was paid for each one she found. For her part, Chauntae Davies revealed that Epstein bragged about his friendship with current President Donald Trump, showing a framed photo of the two of them on his desk, according to a review by BBC.

For her part, Lisa Phillips, a former model, claimed Epstein was not just a serial predator but a protected "international human trafficker."

A list of their own

The victims announced that they are compiling "their own list" of associates to seek justice if the government fails to act. "We know the names; we all know," they said. The conference came a day after the House Oversight Committee released 33,000 pages of DOJ files.

Survivors urge a House vote on the bill, which needs 218 signatures for a discharge petition, and in that context, they have 212 Democrats and 4 Republicans (Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, and Lauren Boebert); just 2 to go to force a vote.