Epstein victims call for action on Capitol Hill
'We're reaching out to survivors that are scared to come forward '
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WASHINGTON _ Victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday to ramp up pressure on lawmakers to push the Department of Justice to release files related to its investigation into his sexual abuse.
One survivor stated they are considering releasing their own unofficial client list of individuals involved in the abuse.
The group — joined by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who are leading efforts to circumvent House Republican Leadership and force a vote on a measure to release the files — shared emotional stories of the misconduct they experienced at the hands of the accused sex trafficker as they called for movement on legislation.
"I have also been in multiple situations with both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, where they have been direct and indirect about implying and saying that if I was to talk, if I was to bring any kind of trouble, then there would be severe consequences, including death," Anouska De Georgiou, one of the survivors, recounted.
"We're reaching out to survivors that are scared to come forward and that also know who they were trafficked to. So that's the list that we're compiling," Lisa Phillips, one of the victims, told reporters. "We're not quite sure how we're going to release that or even if we're going to."
The renewed scandal surrounding Epstein, his partner and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and a range of powerful men, from Democrats to Republicans, has continued to engulf national politics, despite efforts by the White House and its allies to assuage concerns.
Republican leaders of the House Oversight Committee have released troves of documents from the Epstein case, including the transcript from President Donald Trump’s top Justice official, Todd Blanche, and Maxwell.
But a bipartisan group of critics have said the releases, largely consisting of already public material, are little more than distractions.
"I drove there from the airport with Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey, and Ghislaine and Jeffrey were always very boastful about their friends, their famous or powerful friends. And his biggest brag forever was that he was very good friends with Donald Trump. He had an eight-by-ten framed picture of him on his desk with the two of them, like they were very close," Chauntae Davies, another victim, said.
House Democrats and a group of the House’s most visceral House Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, have pushed for the fullest possible disclosure of the copious case files from the federal investigations of Epstein and Maxwell.
"This isn't one political party or the other. It's a culmination of everyone working together to silence these women and protect Jeffrey Epstein and his cabal," Greene told reporters.
But Massie and Khanna have faced pushback from top Republicans for their efforts, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) asserting he wants transparency on the matter but feels the legislation could be at risk of being mishandled under the measure the two lawmakers are pushing.
"It does not adequately protect victims. And because we have so much compassion for the victims — those who spoke today, and the estimated maybe as many as 1,000 victims total — we have to be very diligent about protecting their identities," Johnson, who met with victims on Tuesday, said Wednesday.
The discharge petition would require 218 signatures to move forward, with Massie voicing confidence it will garner the support needed.
The House is also set to vote on a measure formalizing the House Oversight Committee's probe into Epstein, with the panel working to subpoena key figures for testimony and relevant documents.
Massie has argued that the committee probe won't produce enough intelligence, calling the resolution toothless and maintaining his bill needs to be passed.
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I tried to put together a quick guide on who to call and what to say to get us the two more republican signatures.
https://markramm.github.io/Epstein-Transparency/
Let me know if it seems useful to you.
Who is Mike Johnson trying to protect? He is fooling no one. He is not worried about the victims. They don’t need this bill to protect their identities? Also, why wouldn’t the victims answer the questions about Donald Trump ? Afraid of being sued? Afraid of harm to themselves or their families? I am sure their attorneys advised them not to. I consider no answer, an answer. I am glad they are compiling a list, but how dangerous is that? And It is interesting that they said they may or may not release it. Why wouldn’t they release it, except for the possibility of litigation if they don’t have reliable witnesses. Or using it to make a financial deal. I wonder if they need or are getting protection.