A new wave of political and legal controversy has erupted as Epstein survivors and lawmakers publicly challenge how federal authorities handled key documents linked to the Jeffrey Epstein s#x trafficking investigation. During press appearances and public statements, critics accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of misleading the public, while also raising renewed questions about past allegations and reported connections involving powerful figures, including former President Donald Trump.
The developments have intensified calls for transparency, accountability, and legal reform — including proposals to eliminate the statute of limitations for federal s_x trafficking crimes. The issue has sparked fierce political debate, with supporters and critics sharply divided over the claims, evidence, and interpretation of past investigations.
#EpsteinVictimsPressConference #PamBondiEpsteinAllegations #TrumpEpsteinControversy #EpsteinInvestigationDocuments #EpsteinFilesTransparencyDebate #USPoliticsEpsteinInvestigation #SxTraffickingLawReformUS #EpsteinSurvivorsStatements #EpsteinCaseAccountability #EpsteinPoliticalControversy #EpsteinFilesHandlingCriticism #USCongressEpsteinDiscussion #EpsteinVictimsNews #EpsteinCaseTransparency #EpsteinInvestigationDebate #USPoliticsEpsteinCase #EpsteinFilesDebateUS
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The developments have intensified calls for transparency, accountability, and legal reform — including proposals to eliminate the statute of limitations for federal s_x trafficking crimes. The issue has sparked fierce political debate, with supporters and critics sharply divided over the claims, evidence, and interpretation of past investigations.
#EpsteinVictimsPressConference #PamBondiEpsteinAllegations #TrumpEpsteinControversy #EpsteinInvestigationDocuments #EpsteinFilesTransparencyDebate #USPoliticsEpsteinInvestigation #SxTraffickingLawReformUS #EpsteinSurvivorsStatements #EpsteinCaseAccountability #EpsteinPoliticalControversy #EpsteinFilesHandlingCriticism #USCongressEpsteinDiscussion #EpsteinVictimsNews #EpsteinCaseTransparency #EpsteinInvestigationDebate #USPoliticsEpsteinCase #EpsteinFilesDebateUS
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NewsTranscript
00:00For your courage, for your tenacity, and for your determination to get us the truth.
00:06I also want to thank Lauren and everyone at World Without Exploitation who are working so tirelessly to create change and end human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
00:22And I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are here with us today, Nancy Mace, Sidney Kamlager-Dove, Becca Ballant, Grace Meng, who am I missing?
00:34Adelita.
00:35Melanie Stansberry, Adelita Grijalva, who got us to 218 on the discharge positions, and all the others that I know are in spirit with us here.
00:46I'm so proud to be on the executive board of the Democratic Women's Caucus, which is hosting this press conference today, and has been at the center of the push for justice.
00:56Our amazing chairwoman, Teresa Ledger-Fernandez, is at a rules committee meeting, so she's unable to be with us in person, but she is certainly here in spirit.
01:05Yesterday, I spent several hours at the Department of Justice looking through the unredacted files and reading the absolutely horrific and depraved messages that went back and forth between rich and powerful people in every sphere of influence.
01:25These people are at the top of governments, academic institutions, billionaires at giant corporations, cabinet secretaries, and the callous depravity of their messages showed that they absolutely believed that they were above the law, above morals, absolutely immune to any societal norms.
01:48They joked in these emails about pedophiles, about horrific sexual acts with young girls, about creating spaces, entire islands even, where they could do anything they wanted and get away with it because of their wealth, their power, and their connections.
02:07This was a massive global sex trafficking ring with thousands of victims that we know of and thousands more that we probably don't.
02:21So when DOJ says that there is nothing to investigate, we, the American people, must rise up.
02:28We must allow the courage and the determination of the survivors who have spoken out at great risk to themselves to push us to never give up until every single one of these predators and pedophiles and predator protectors is brought to justice.
02:48It is the voices of the survivors ringing through in the darkness of all of this horror that has gotten us this far.
02:57And in speaking to so many of them myself, I know that this effort is not just for them.
03:04They're not doing this just for them.
03:06They're doing it for their girls, for their children, for other people who have been affected,
03:12to all the survivors of sexual assault everywhere across the world who are watching to see if we can get accountability right here in the United States of America.
03:23Many rich and powerful people thought over the decades that they got away with this.
03:27They definitely did.
03:28You can see it in the emails.
03:30But as Lauren said to me the other day, the earth is shaking.
03:36Because every single one of them now is becoming known.
03:40And around the world, princes, ambassadors, even prime ministers are being brought down for their participation in this global sex trafficking ring.
03:50And here in America, that needs to happen too.
03:53And until it does, we are here to say we will not stop.
03:59To every survivor who has fought so hard, who has shared painful details, who has been re-traumatized by the continued disrespect, dismissal, and exposure of their own personal details,
04:15we won't stop until you have justice and accountability.
04:18I'm going straight from here to the Judiciary Committee, as our Representative Kamlager Dove, Representative Ballant, where we will have Attorney General Bondi before us.
04:29I intend to get real answers on why the DOJ is not pursuing further action, and to get survivors the attention and the answers that they deserve.
04:40This is just the beginning of our journey for justice, led by very powerful women who are using their voices and their power to, yes, shake the earth of its depravity, and to demand accountability.
04:57So thank you for all of it, for inspiring us day after day, year after year, and never backing down.
05:04We love you, we appreciate you, and we've got you.
05:08It's now my honor to pass it over to Representative Sidney Kamlager Dove, my colleague on the Judiciary Committee.
05:16Woo!
05:19Thank you, Congresswoman Jayapal.
05:22I also want to recognize Congressman James Wackenshaw and Congressman Jamie Raskin, who have also joined us for this press conference.
05:31My name is Congresswoman Sidney Kamlager Dove.
05:34I represent Los Angeles, and I want to thank the Democratic Women's Caucus for hosting this press conference
05:40and for always centering survivors when talking about the Epstein files.
05:45You know, the entire weight of Donald Trump's government is being used against the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators' abuse.
06:00The fact that these survivors have not only come forward but continue to speak out and relive the worst day of their lives every single day is courage.
06:13And it's a kind of courage this administration does not have.
06:20Eighty percent of sexual assaults go unreported because time and time again our broken justice system protects abusers instead of survivors.
06:33When the president and the attorney general repeatedly shield pedophiles, rapists, traffickers, from accountability,
06:42they send a chilling message to survivors everywhere and discourage others from coming forward.
06:49Let me be clear, we need this administration to care about child sexual assault instead of protecting pedophiles and predators.
07:05At 10 a.m., Attorney General Pam Bondi will be testifying in House Judiciary Committee.
07:16And we are all going to get in her face and grill her and grill her about the reckless and sloppy release of these files.
07:29One survivor found her name, her birthday, her address, and phone number, and workplace, all exposed in the files.
07:42That puts her at serious risk.
07:46And it is a chilling effect for every other survivor.
07:50Now it is my honor and privilege to turn it over to a brave and courageous woman, Teresa Helm.
08:07Hi, good morning.
08:09Here we are again.
08:11And for what it's worth, we're not going anywhere.
08:14And while it might seem that we're in the middle of the road of this, actually, in many ways, this is just beginning.
08:25I stand here in support for all of these women here beside me, all of the women across this nation,
08:37for my own children, for myself, for every one of you out there in this audience looking at us right now,
08:44all of us a survivor, this nation is full of survivors.
08:50We're going to stand and we're going to fight and we're not going to stop because that's the right thing to do.
08:58We stand here also with the support and we pray that there's nonpartisan support of Virginia's law
09:09that has just been introduced.
09:13This is one of the most important monumental steps for survivors.
09:18And the world is still watching.
09:20No one's turning away from this.
09:22It affects every single person here.
09:25It affects every single person in this administration.
09:29They have wives, daughters, grandchildren.
09:33Every single person.
09:35This is not an issue that's going away.
09:38And we're not going to stop.
09:40And I feel that this is a real, today and beyond, a real demonstration of integrity.
09:48And as my dad, who is a very, very smart man, used to say to me, Dr. James Helm,
09:56the proof is in the pudding.
09:58So we're going to find out.
10:06First, I want to recognize Representative Nancy May standing with us today
10:10because, as we have always said, this is a nonpartisan issue.
10:14What I know, what we know in the sexual violence arena is that there are more sexual abuse,
10:24sexual assault, and trafficking victims in the country, in the world, than any other tragedy.
10:30And consistently, those victims and survivors are told one of two things.
10:35Shut up or move on.
10:38And as I understand it, when we spent time in Republican Judiciary Committee members' offices,
10:45they were very compassionate, passionate, caring about this issue.
10:52They support us.
10:53They want transparency.
10:55They want justice.
10:56And what we've heard is that they've been told to shut up today
11:00and not do the hard thing of asking questions about the egregious job done by the Department of Justice
11:07in the drop of the files.
11:09And we've heard that the American people have been told to move on.
11:13So I'd like to present three options to Republican House Judiciary Committee members.
11:20They can either do the bravest thing they have ever done, ever done in their career,
11:26and they can ask the hard questions.
11:30They can do a second thing, which is a really hard thing to do,
11:34refuse to be complicit, and resign.
11:38Just say, I am making a statement, and I'm going to resign from being part of this administration.
11:45And they can do a third thing.
11:47They can yield one minute of their time to Thomas Massey,
11:51who happens to be a real bulldog in this issue,
11:54and let him speak for them.
11:56That way they are able to hold their position of leadership
12:00but make a stand, showing their constituents,
12:04who are all victims and survivors too,
12:06that they believe in us.
12:10So today my question is,
12:12those on the Judiciary Committee, the Republicans,
12:15are you going to have courage, or are you going to be complicit?
12:20Good morning.
12:26My name is Laura Bloom McGee.
12:28I am a survivor who stands before you to not ask you for pity,
12:33but demanding justice.
12:35Speaking my truth was born of courage.
12:38I stand here for every little boy and girl
12:40that is afraid to speak up after the unthinkable.
12:44That courage should never cost us
12:46our safety, our privacy, or our right to heal.
12:51Our current system does the opposite.
12:53The people who have harmed us,
12:56they are hidden,
12:57while survivors have been exposed.
12:59Abusers' names and contact information is redacted
13:02while our faces and stories are left on full display.
13:06This is not protection.
13:08This is betrayal.
13:10It hands power back to the abuser
13:12and further strips survivors of our dignity.
13:15Even worse,
13:17leads that could uncover broader wrongdoing
13:19are being ignored.
13:21Documents that point to co-conspirators
13:23are still unexamined.
13:25Truth, integrity, and the pursuit of justice
13:28should be non-negotiable,
13:30and we will no longer negotiate
13:32with people or institutions that fail us.
13:37Hi, everyone.
13:41I'm Dani Benski,
13:43and I am an Epstein Maxwell survivor
13:44from 2004 to 2005.
13:47The last time I was in D.C.,
13:48I asked everyone to close their eyes
13:50and think of a teenager
13:51that was close to you.
13:53I asked you to make it personal.
13:55Thinking of your child,
13:57your sibling,
13:58your mother,
13:59or you even at an early age,
14:01I asked you to visualize that teenager
14:03at the door of Jeffrey Epstein's mansion,
14:05and I asked you if you would let them enter.
14:07Well, now I want you to visualize something else.
14:10I want you to think of that same 14 to 18-year-old.
14:14I want you to imagine
14:15that they've since grown up,
14:17and one day you find their name
14:19and all of their identifying information
14:21in the Epstein files
14:23alongside intimate, horrific details
14:27about their lives,
14:29sexual abuse, and trafficking.
14:31You look further,
14:34and maybe you even find a nude picture.
14:36You try to understand
14:37who could be responsible
14:39for these crimes,
14:40or try to find who's responsible
14:42for the crimes themselves,
14:44only to find that the perpetrator's names
14:45have all been redacted.
14:47As you read on
14:48and take in all the heinous acts,
14:50you begin to see
14:51how the system repeatedly failed.
14:53Realizing that it was hard enough
14:55to endure the abuse,
14:56you begin to understand
14:58the endless re-traumatization.
15:00This time,
15:01it isn't a monster pedophile
15:02who is doing the exploiting,
15:04but our very own government.
15:07I dare to say
15:09that everyone knows a survivor,
15:10a survivor of assault or abuse.
15:12My ask is that
15:13you keep this personal.
15:16We are not here as political figures.
15:18We are only human.
15:20Our only agenda is accountability.
15:22We owe it to our former selves.
15:24We owe it to the next generation,
15:25and we also owe it to those of the past.
15:28We need to believe women
15:29who bravely step forward
15:30like Maria Farmer did in 1996.
15:32We need to pass Virginia's law
15:33to eliminate the statute of limitations.
15:36We need survivors to be taken seriously.
15:39There should never be a time limit on justice,
15:43and the DOJ needs to do its job.
15:46Give us the rest of the files
15:47and start the investigations.
15:50Start the investigations
15:51on the things that are in the files right now.
15:53During my time with Jeffrey,
15:56I was always amazed
15:58that he could make you feel so special
16:00like you were the only one in the room
16:02and then treat you
16:03like an absolute piece of trash
16:04and throw you away.
16:06We will not be silenced
16:08and thrown away this time.
16:15Hello.
16:16My name is Liz Stein.
16:18I met Ghislaine Maxwell
16:19and Jeffrey Epstein in 1994
16:21when I was a senior in college.
16:25For us, this is not about politics.
16:29This is about people in power
16:31and vulnerable girls and young women.
16:35A partial release of these files by the DOJ,
16:39riddled with improper redactions
16:41that expose the vulnerable
16:43and shield the powerful from accountability,
16:45is not justice.
16:47It is injustice.
16:50As victims of this crime
16:53and citizens of this country,
16:57we will not stand for it
17:00and neither should you.
17:03This is no longer about us.
17:06This is about survivors
17:08of sexual abuse everywhere.
17:11They are watching us.
17:13And if you think that this does not affect you,
17:17one in four women in our country
17:19have been touched by this issue.
17:21It affects all of us.
17:25We are being watched,
17:27not only as survivors,
17:29but as advocates
17:31for those who cannot use their own voice
17:34to speak up.
17:38We, as a nation,
17:39have an opportunity
17:40to send a strong message
17:42that we will not protect people
17:44who victimize children,
17:46that we will stand up
17:48for what is right
17:49despite what our politics are,
17:52that we will cross the aisle
17:54and that we will stand
17:56behind survivors for justice.
17:59We keep hearing
18:02our press secretary
18:03and our Department of Justice
18:05and other government officials
18:06saying they're moving on from this.
18:10I wish that we could.
18:13I met Epstein Maxwell
18:15when I was 21 years old.
18:17I'm nearly 53 now.
18:19We cannot move on
18:21as survivors of this crime
18:24and as citizens of this nation
18:26without changing this narrative.
18:29So I ask you all
18:30to stand behind us
18:32and demand accountability
18:34for our government
18:35because we certainly are going to.
18:45Hello, everyone,
18:47and good morning.
18:48We are here today
18:49asking for basic safety,
18:51dignity,
18:52respect for survivors
18:53and Americans.
18:54In recent releases,
18:56survivors' names
18:57were not properly redacted.
18:58The failure
18:59has put people in danger.
19:01Personal information
19:01has been exposed,
19:03information that can lead
19:04to harassment,
19:05threats,
19:05and retaliation.
19:07Some of those impacted
19:08are Jane Doe's
19:09who have never broken
19:09their silence,
19:10who have never chose
19:11to be public,
19:12and who deserve protection,
19:15not exposure.
19:16We are still asking
19:17a question
19:18the public deserves answered.
19:20How is the Department of Justice
19:21able to carefully redact
19:23the names of powerful men
19:24yet fail to protect survivors?
19:26We stand here today,
19:28united and strong,
19:30and we are asking
19:31for something simple.
19:32Treat us like human beings.
19:34We have families.
19:35We have lives.
19:36We did not cause these crimes,
19:38and we should not be the ones
19:40paying for the price again.
19:42And if more documents
19:43are released,
19:44we are demanding
19:44that the DOJ
19:45take the time
19:46to do this the right way,
19:48fully and respectfully
19:49redact survivors' identities
19:51and any identity details
19:52connected to them.
19:54We also need to address
19:55the allegations
19:56contained in these materials.
19:58Every credible allegation
20:00must be taken seriously
20:01and investigated thoroughly,
20:03no matter who the person is,
20:05how wealthy they are,
20:07or how connected they are.
20:08We understand
20:09that these are allegations
20:10and due process matters,
20:12but survivors are human beings
20:14who shared something horrific.
20:16They deserve to be heard,
20:17and they deserve a real investigation,
20:20not dismissal, delay, or silence.
20:23So everyone watching
20:24stand with survivors,
20:26demand accountability,
20:28demand transparency,
20:29demand investigations
20:30that do not protect the powerful
20:32while exposing the vulnerable.
20:34And those who are involved,
20:35those who know what happened,
20:37those who enabled it,
20:38those who stayed silent,
20:40do the right thing,
20:42answer the questions, cooperate,
20:43because the survivors
20:44are done carrying the burden along.
20:47Moving forward,
20:48we, and when I say we,
20:50I mean the whole world,
20:51expect true transparency
20:53and justice for those
20:54who have not yet received it.
20:56I want to emphasize
20:57that after Congress reviewed
20:59the unredacted files yesterday
21:01and discovered
21:01that more powerful individuals
21:03were involved,
21:04I'm left wondering,
21:05why haven't we started
21:07an investigation this yet?
21:08Other countries have taken action,
21:10so why is the United States
21:12lagging behind,
21:13especially in a nation
21:14that prides itself on justice?
21:16This is what we believe in,
21:18this is what we demand.
21:20So the real question here is,
21:22when will the Department of Justice
21:24start investigation,
21:25not only the allegations,
21:27but to the powerful men
21:29that are running free?
21:31Thank you, everyone.
21:32Good morning, everybody.
21:38We are here today as survivors
21:39and as the families of survivors
21:41of Jeffrey Epstein
21:42and Ghislaine Maxwell.
21:44We are here as the family
21:45of Virginia Roberts-Dufresne.
21:47My name is Sky Roberts,
21:49and I am the brother
21:50of Virginia Roberts-Dufresne.
21:52Pam, I have a clear
21:54and simple message for you.
21:56The way this administration
21:57and you specifically
21:58have handled survivors
21:59has been nothing short
22:00of a failure.
22:02I have a message
22:03from Annie Farmer.
22:04She's not here today,
22:05but I love her to death.
22:06I believe that.
22:08And she said,
22:08Pam, do your job.
22:11Do your job, Pam.
22:13And I feel that.
22:15There are serious questions
22:17that demand answers.
22:18Why are the perpetrators'
22:19names being redacted
22:20while survivors' names
22:21are left unredacted?
22:23We are done with excuses.
22:25We are done with delays.
22:27No more lies.
22:28No more deflection.
22:29We want answers,
22:30and we want accountability.
22:33Virginia was not a headline.
22:35She was a daughter,
22:37a sister,
22:38a mother,
22:39and a human being.
22:44She carried that,
22:45she carried what was done
22:46to her for years
22:47and still chose to fight,
22:49not just for herself,
22:50but for others
22:51who were afraid
22:52or silenced.
22:55And we need to say
22:56to say this plainly,
22:57the handling of the
22:58Jeffrey Epstein case
23:00has been mismanaged
23:01again and again
23:02across administrations,
23:04across agencies,
23:06and across years.
23:08That failure is not abstract.
23:10It has caused real,
23:12lasting damage to survivors,
23:13and that is not up for debate.
23:15We are here to see
23:18whether our representatives
23:20will stand with survivors,
23:21not with excuses,
23:23not with delay,
23:25not with political convenience.
23:27We are here to see
23:28whether you will ask
23:29the hard questions
23:30that have been avoided
23:31for far too long.
23:33And with that,
23:33I'm going to turn it over
23:34to Amanda.
23:38To Ms. Bondi,
23:39we are deeply disappointed
23:41by the way you
23:42and your leadership
23:43in this department
23:44have treated survivors.
23:47And today,
23:47while you're being questioned,
23:49we ask you to look
23:50in the eyes
23:50of every single one of us
23:53and remember
23:54Virginia Roberts-Giffray,
23:55who paid the ultimate sacrifice
23:58for the trauma
23:58that she had endured.
24:00We ask you to remember
24:01the lives that we have lost
24:03during this process.
24:06Accountability means
24:07real answers,
24:09not evasion.
24:10It means transparency,
24:12not more hiding.
24:13And we ask Congress
24:15that if Pambadi has been found
24:18where you have misled
24:20or gave false testimony,
24:22you must be held
24:23to the same standard
24:24as everyone else.
24:26No title, no power,
24:28no connections
24:28should change that.
24:30And to the American people,
24:32take heed.
24:34Be mindful of any government
24:36or any powerful people
24:38who try to tell us
24:40that what we live through
24:41is not real,
24:42that what happened to us
24:45didn't happen,
24:46who ask us to doubt
24:50what our ears can hear
24:52and what our eyes
24:53can plainly see.
24:55That is how abuse
24:57is protected
24:57and that is how
24:59it thrives.
25:02We are here
25:03because survivors
25:04have had their lives
25:06defined by what powerful people
25:07did to them
25:08behind closed doors
25:09while institutions
25:11have continuously
25:12looked away.
25:14Today,
25:15Congress has a chance
25:16to prove
25:16that this country
25:17is still not
25:18looking away.
25:20We are not here
25:21for theater
25:22and we are not here
25:23for talking points.
25:24We are here for truth.
25:26We are here for justice.
25:27We are here
25:27for accountability
25:28for Virginia
25:29and every survivor.
25:31Amen.
25:35Hi.
25:41My name is Charlene Rashard
25:43and last year
25:45I stood here
25:46as a survivor
25:47demanding the release
25:49of the Epstein files.
25:51Today,
25:52I stand here again
25:54as a citizen
25:56demanding accountability
25:57now that Congress
25:59is questioning
26:00Pam Bondi
26:01of the Department
26:03of Justice
26:03about the handling
26:04of the Epstein files
26:06Transparency Act.
26:08Let me be clear.
26:12Survivors
26:13are furious.
26:15We watched
26:17the Justice Department
26:18botched redactions
26:20so badly
26:21that victims' images
26:23were exposed
26:24while predators' identities
26:26were kept hidden
26:28and protected.
26:30That does not feel
26:32like an accident
26:33or a clerical error.
26:35It feels like betrayal.
26:38The people who were
26:40supposed to protect us
26:41instead shielded abusers
26:44and re-traumatized survivors
26:47and were expected
26:49to accept that
26:51as standard procedure?
26:54We do not.
26:58Pam Bondi
26:58claimed she was
26:59defending the independence
27:01and integrity
27:02of the Justice Department.
27:04But survivors
27:05have every right to ask,
27:08where was all that integrity
27:10when survivors
27:11were exposed?
27:12Where was that independence
27:14when victims
27:15were silenced?
27:17Where was all that
27:19commitment to justice
27:20when the truth
27:21was buried
27:22to protect reputations?
27:25These are not
27:27partisan attacks.
27:29These are demands
27:30for basic human morality
27:32and accountability.
27:34When officials
27:36are accused
27:36of weaponizing
27:38the Justice Department,
27:40we know exactly
27:41what that means
27:42because we've lived
27:44through the consequences.
27:47This inquiry confirms
27:48what survivors
27:49have known for decades.
27:51The Justice Department
27:52has influenced
27:54and manipulated
27:55in ways that harmed us.
27:57We are told
27:58to wait for transparency,
28:01to trust a system
28:02that already failed us,
28:04to accept redactions
28:06that protect the powerful
28:07and expose the powerless.
28:09But our trauma
28:11wasn't delayed.
28:13Our pain
28:14was not postponed.
28:17And our trust
28:18has been shattered.
28:20So I will say
28:22what many survivors feel.
28:24Pam Bondi
28:25and the Justice Department
28:27failed us repeatedly
28:28across administrations,
28:31across political lines,
28:33across decades,
28:34and the people
28:35who had the authority
28:36to intervene
28:37chose silence,
28:40secrecy,
28:41and self-preservation
28:42and called it justice.
28:47I'm here to make sure
28:48no one
28:49in the Justice Department,
28:51no matter their title,
28:52rewrites history
28:53or escapes accountability.
28:55And so today,
28:58I'm asking survivors,
29:02allies,
29:03lawmakers,
29:05and citizens
29:06to refuse silence,
29:11demand oversight,
29:13demand transparency,
29:16demand a Justice Department
29:17that protects the vulnerable
29:19instead of the powerful.
29:22Stand with us.
29:24speak with us
29:26and do not
29:28look away.
29:30Accountability
29:31will not come
29:32unless we
29:33insist on it
29:35together.
29:41Thank you so much.
29:42Please welcome
29:43Representative Nancy Mace.
29:46Hold on one second.
29:48I just want to let
29:49members of the media
29:50know that because
29:51the judiciary hearing
29:52is starting soon,
29:53and some of the survivors
29:54are going to go
29:55take their seat right now.
29:57But we are going
29:58to continue this press conference
30:00because we have a few
30:01more important statements
30:02to make.
30:03And Representative Press
30:04We're going to go
30:04to Representative Nancy Mace.
30:05All right.
30:06Good morning.
30:07For thousands of years,
30:09women have been considered
30:10second-class citizens.
30:12Back to the book
30:12of Genesis,
30:13chapter 24,
30:14when Dinah was raped
30:15by a prince,
30:16they tried to negotiate
30:17a deal to sweep it
30:17under the rug
30:18until her brothers
30:19took up sores.
30:20And today,
30:21the Epstein survivors
30:22who are here,
30:24advocating on their behalf,
30:26want America
30:26and the world to know
30:27they are no longer
30:28second-class citizens.
30:29And women in this country
30:31should never be treated
30:33like second-class citizens.
30:34And their stories
30:35are truth.
30:36Their stories are real.
30:37They are vulnerable.
30:38It is traumatic.
30:40And it is lifelong trauma
30:42for each and every
30:43one of them.
30:44I have lost all faith
30:45in the justice system today.
30:48But I have not lost faith
30:52in the stories of the survivors
30:54of Jeffrey Epstein
30:56and Ghislaine Maxwell.
30:59And I want the survivors
31:02to know that the world
31:05is watching.
31:08And we must show them
31:10what we're made of.
31:11We're made of the courage
31:14of the Epstein survivors.
31:16We're made of the bravery
31:18of the Epstein survivors.
31:20We're made of the truth
31:22of the Epstein survivors.
31:24And we're here today
31:26to demand justice
31:27for the Epstein survivors.
31:30Because their stories
31:32are our stories.
31:33There are judges
31:34all across the country,
31:35all across the United States
31:36of America,
31:37who are revealing the names
31:39and the identities
31:41and the residents,
31:43the addresses,
31:44the contact information
31:45of rape victims everywhere.
31:47Rape victims who come forward
31:48and name names
31:49are sued by their rapists.
31:53This is happening
31:55not just to them,
31:56but to women everywhere.
31:57In my case,
31:58I went to the law enforcement
32:00over two years ago.
32:02Evidence on a silver platter.
32:05Today, not a single person
32:06arrested,
32:07not a single person in jail.
32:10And so the days
32:11of the cover-up are over.
32:14And I am begging the media,
32:16don't make this partisan.
32:17This is about the victims.
32:20And this will go down,
32:22the Epstein saga,
32:24and Maxwell,
32:25this will go down
32:26as one of the greatest cover-ups
32:28in American history.
32:31And I'm going to stand
32:33with the Epstein survivors
32:34until my last breath
32:36to ensure that the rich
32:38and powerful
32:39do not get away with this.
32:41Because America's system
32:42is a two-tiered system
32:44of justice.
32:45There's one for the rich
32:46and powerful,
32:47and there's one
32:48for the rest of us.
32:51And those days are over,
32:52and I want the rich
32:53and powerful,
32:54the princes,
32:55the princesses,
32:55the prime ministers,
32:56the former presidents
32:57to know
32:58your days
32:59are numbered.
33:01Thank you,
33:01and God bless
33:02each and every one of you.
33:20So I just want to
33:22just acknowledge that
33:23who were just before us
33:26are grown women.
33:29But it's not hard for me
33:31when I look at them
33:32to see a 17-year-old,
33:35a 16-year-old,
33:37a 15-year-old,
33:38a 14-year-old,
33:40a 12-year-old,
33:42a 9-year-old.
33:43We're talking about children
33:45who were groomed,
33:48preyed upon,
33:49exploited,
33:50raped,
33:51trafficked,
33:52dreams permanently deferred,
33:56bodies violated,
33:59and spirits permanently bruised.
34:03In Virginia's book,
34:05Nobody's Girl,
34:06it's titled that
34:06because she felt
34:07she belonged to no one,
34:09that no one cared.
34:12These survivors have been used,
34:16abused,
34:17and discarded.
34:19Jeffrey Epstein can rot in hell,
34:22and Jelaine Maxwell can follow suit,
34:25and all those co-conspirators
34:27and accomplices deserve to be named
34:30and shamed.
34:32Because as Virginia once said,
34:33if we don't know who they are,
34:35the monsters are still out there
34:37harming people.
34:38So I thank you for being here today.
34:41This is a season of
34:42call a thing a thing.
34:44So I have to be direct.
34:47Survivors gathered here today,
34:48I'm so grateful for their courage
34:50and leadership,
34:51and equally devastated and furious
34:52about what they have endured.
34:55You were failed by so many powerful people
34:57that could have protected
34:58your childhood.
35:01You were failed by a government
35:02that ignored your cries for decades.
35:05Truly an institutional betrayal.
35:10Fighting,
35:10we are fighting with every bone
35:12in our bodies for you.
35:15The files that have been released
35:17have further detailed
35:18a vivid picture
35:20of depraved behavior
35:23and dehumanization,
35:26violent violations,
35:27hurt and harm,
35:28no person,
35:30no person,
35:33no child
35:35should ever endure.
35:40It is an abuse and harm
35:42that changes you
35:44on a cellular level
35:45for the rest of your life.
35:47It is a lifetime sentence.
35:50Together we are fighting
35:51for every survivor
35:53carrying visible and invisible scars
35:55burdened by shame.
35:57Let me be clear,
35:57the shame is not yours to carry.
35:59Shame on the people
36:00that abused you.
36:01Shame on the government
36:02that failed you.
36:03The shame is not yours to carry.
36:06And we must meet your courage
36:07with real action.
36:09And again,
36:09although I know
36:09our survivors have left
36:11to take their seats
36:13at the judiciary hearing,
36:16I'm speaking to all
36:17the Epstein survivors,
36:18but to all survivors
36:19for whom the Epstein survivors
36:21are a current proxy for.
36:24This moment requires
36:25that we meet their courage
36:26with real action.
36:28These powerful abusers
36:29have been protected
36:30by institutions
36:30that are more concerned
36:31with the wealthy
36:32and well-connected
36:33than centering survivors.
36:35The Department of Justice
36:36must continue to release files
36:38and they must correct course
36:40as we've demanded
36:40from the beginning.
36:42The identities of survivors
36:43in these files
36:44must be redacted
36:45and protected.
36:46And this can't end
36:48with the release of the files.
36:49We must see thorough investigations
36:50followed by swift accountability
36:53for all that enabled
36:54and incited this abuse.
36:57Words are important,
36:58but actions are what matter now.
37:01And that's why we will not yield.
37:04Thank you for being here today
37:05and our work continues.
37:09Good morning, everyone.
37:11I am Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury
37:13and I am so proud
37:14to represent New Mexico's
37:161st Congressional District
37:17and to stand with the survivors
37:19and to be joined by my colleagues
37:21from the Oversight Judiciary
37:23and other committees
37:24of jurisdiction in this case.
37:27While the survivors have left
37:29to attend the Pam Bondi hearing
37:31that starts in just a few moments,
37:33we will stay for a few extra moments
37:35to answer questions of the press.
37:37You see behind me
37:38members of the Oversight Committee
37:40that have been engaged
37:41in a months-long bipartisan investigation
37:43in the Epstein case.
37:46Let me begin by saying one thing.
37:50Believe the survivors.
37:52That's right.
37:53We are being asked every single day
37:56to name names.
37:58They have named the names.
38:00They are in the files.
38:03Believe the survivors.
38:05Believe your eyes.
38:07Believe what you are reading.
38:10They have named the names
38:11and for the last 20 years,
38:13justice has not been served
38:16here in these United States.
38:18That's right.
38:1920 years ago, in 2007,
38:23the U.S. Department of Justice
38:25and the FBI drew up
38:27a 56-page indictment
38:30that included 32 counts
38:32of federal crimes
38:33against Jeffrey Epstein
38:35and his co-conspirators
38:36and one year later
38:38dropped the case.
38:40In the years that ensued,
38:42hundreds and potentially thousands
38:44of additional victims
38:46of sexual violence
38:47were allowed to happen
38:49because the United States government
38:52failed to act.
38:54Today, that same injustice
38:57is continuing right now
38:59here in the halls of Congress,
39:02the halls of the Department of Justice,
39:04and yes,
39:05in the halls of the White House.
39:08Late last night,
39:10I posted an FBI file
39:12that names names.
39:16That is the FBI's file.
39:19Those are the names
39:20of rich and powerful people,
39:22including presidents,
39:24that the FBI itself
39:27was tracking
39:28in the Epstein investigation.
39:30That is based on
39:31victims' naming names.
39:34So believe the victims.
39:36Believe your eyes.
39:39The names have been named.
39:40They are in the public domain.
39:42They are in the files.
39:44And we will tell you unequivocally,
39:46we will keep naming names.
39:49While we do,
39:50as members of Congress,
39:51have access to these unredacted files,
39:54let us be clear,
39:55the law is clear,
39:56that these files
39:57should never have been redacted
39:59the way that they are currently.
40:01It is very clear
40:02that the United States government
40:05is involved in an active cover-up
40:08and protecting the allies
40:10of the president
40:11and the Department of Justice,
40:12and that active members
40:14of this administration
40:16have lied under oath
40:18to the American people
40:19and to this Congress,
40:20and we will hold you accountable.
40:23Now, it has already been stated
40:25multiple times this morning
40:27that governments across the world
40:30are acting.
40:32Governments across the world
40:33are demanding accountability.
40:36People are rising up.
40:37Survivors are coming forward.
40:39People are naming names,
40:41and names are being taken down.
40:43Yet here in the United States,
40:46the injustice
40:47that has spanned now two decades
40:50is continuing
40:51because of an active cover-up
40:53by the president himself.
40:56So what we ask all of you,
40:59the American people,
41:01members of the press,
41:03the eyes of the world
41:05who are watching us
41:06here in the United States,
41:08believe the survivors.
41:10Have courage.
41:13Do the right thing.
41:15Because the survivors
41:16have already had the courage
41:18to say those names
41:19over and over again.
41:21And they have more courage
41:23and guts
41:23than half of the people
41:25in the buildings behind us
41:26and most of the people
41:28in this town.
41:30But we want you to know
41:31that we will not let
41:33this injustice stand.
41:35We will stand here every day
41:37with the survivors.
41:38We will not stop.
41:40We will look through every file.
41:42We will follow every lead.
41:44And justice will be served.
41:48And to every survivor out there,
41:51here in the United States
41:53and across the world,
41:54the millions of survivors,
41:57girls, women, boys,
42:00people who are watching,
42:02we know the eyes of the world
42:04are on us.
42:05We stand with you.
42:06We are fighting for you.
42:08You are not alone.
42:09And whether you have come forward
42:11or not,
42:11we want you to know
42:13that we are fighting for you.
42:15We see you.
42:16And we will fight for justice.
42:19That's right.
42:20And so with that,
42:21we will open it up for questions.
42:24And we will,
42:25some of us are going to head over
42:26to the Judiciary Committee
42:28where Pam Bondi
42:30where Pam Bondi
42:30has to answer
42:31some very serious questions.
42:33Do we have any questions
42:34from the press?
42:36Yes.
42:37Several members of the British
42:38political class
42:39have lost their positions,
42:40as you've mentioned,
42:41as a result of being
42:42associated with the Epstein files.
42:44Do you think that people
42:45in the Trump administration,
42:47like Secretary Lutnik,
42:48should lose their job
42:49as a result of misrepresenting
42:50their relationship with Epstein?
42:52Absolutely.
42:53It is very clear
42:54that Howard Lutnik
42:55lied to the American people
42:56about the nature
42:57of his relationship
42:58and that he repetitively lied,
43:02including potentially
43:03perjuring himself yesterday
43:04right behind me
43:05in the United States Senate.
43:07We have the files.
43:09We know the nature
43:10of the relationship.
43:11We know that there are
43:12multiple witnesses
43:13who shared information
43:15with the FBI
43:16about Howard Lutnik's relationship
43:18with Jeffrey Epstein.
43:20It's time for him to stand down.
43:21I have one thing.
43:23What message does it send
43:24about our country
43:25to our kids
43:26when people in Europe
43:27are being held accountable
43:28but people in the United States
43:30are not being held accountable
43:31for the same exact situation?
43:33So we have to hold people
43:34in this administration
43:35accountable
43:36no matter how powerful
43:37they are.
43:38Can I ask everybody?
43:40And this is Suha Subramanian
43:41from Virginia.
43:43Over time,
43:45we've heard more
43:45about the involvement
43:46of a man formerly known
43:48as Prince Andrew.
43:49We've heard statements
43:50from Buckingham Palace
43:51and from William McCade
43:53saying their thoughts
43:54are with the veterans.
43:55I just wonder
43:55what your thoughts are.
43:57Jeffrey Epstein
43:58was a man
43:58who was invited
43:59to the palace.
44:00He was a man
44:01who was in the midst
44:04of the royal family.
44:06What would you say
44:07to King Charles
44:08who forgot to
44:09what he should do
44:11as the head
44:11of the royal palace
44:12should he get in the court?
44:14Should he publicly answer
44:16the questions?
44:17What action would you like
44:18to say?
44:18Well, I'm humbled
44:20that you would ask
44:21a mere citizen congresswoman
44:24from New Mexico
44:25to comment on
44:28what is happening
44:29with the royal family.
44:30But let me just say
44:31this generally.
44:32When you examine
44:33what the FBI
44:34and the United States
44:36investigated
44:36of Jeffrey Epstein
44:37for more than a decade,
44:39it is very clear
44:40that his crimes
44:41included not just
44:42sex trafficking
44:43but international
44:45money laundering,
44:46potential influence
44:49peddling of state secrets
44:50to foreign governments.
44:52We still don't understand
44:53the nature
44:53of his intelligence work
44:55and it is not only
44:59a stain on the reputation
45:00of all world leaders
45:02that there are leaders
45:04that were in association
45:06with Epstein
45:06and his sexual crimes
45:08but it's also
45:09a national security risk.
45:11And I think that
45:12what has unfolded
45:13in the UK
45:13over the last couple weeks
45:15is that Jeffrey Epstein
45:16was a national security risk
45:18to the UK
45:19and it's important
45:20that the individuals
45:23who may have
45:24either intentionally
45:25or inadvertently
45:26shared information
45:28be held accountable.
45:30Yeah.
45:31Yeah, I think
45:32in terms of King Charles,
45:33I mean,
45:33the family's reputation
45:35is on the line right now.
45:36And so I hope
45:37they do the right thing
45:38by letting authorities
45:39hold Andrew accountable
45:41for anything he did.
45:42I still want to continue
45:43to see if Andrew
45:44will come
45:45and testify before
45:46our committee
45:46but certainly
45:48the victims have said
45:50that justice has many forms
45:51and one of them
45:52is the reputations
45:52and titles
45:53and power
45:54of many of these people
45:55who were involved
45:56in these crimes
45:57and so their reputation
45:58is on the line
45:59right now.
45:59It's hard for me to say.
46:15I think that's why
46:15we want all the documents
46:16to know exactly
46:17what evidence there is
46:18of any sort of knowledge
46:19of the crimes.
46:21And I think especially
46:23when you have a peek
46:24behind the redactions
46:25and some of the email
46:26correspondence,
46:27Jeffrey Epstein
46:28had a vast network
46:30of leaders,
46:32businessmen,
46:33others that he was
46:34involved with globally
46:35and it's not necessarily
46:37indicative that he was
46:38doing work for governments
46:40or that others
46:41in the government
46:41were involved
46:42but it's clear
46:43that his influence
46:44peddling
46:45and his business scheme
46:46involved maintaining
46:48those kinds of relationships.
46:49So I think at this point
46:51it's unclear
46:51that there's any evidence
46:53that points to
46:54broader participation
46:55outside of the individuals
46:57who have so far
46:57been named.
46:59Are there other questions?
47:01Yes, go ahead.
47:02My name is Christine Malia
47:03and I'm working
47:04with the Cosmine Company
47:05and have you seen
47:08any patterns
47:09of this overlapping
47:10with structural effects
47:13within our role
47:14of CPS
47:16and government-person?
47:17Oh, absolutely.
47:18I think one of the things
47:20that we met extensively
47:22a number of members
47:23and survivors yesterday
47:24to talk about
47:25what comes next
47:26and I want to make clear
47:28that both the members
47:30of Congress
47:31who are supporting
47:32the survivors
47:32and the survivors
47:33see this not as just
47:35a moment of accountability
47:36in this case
47:38but about changing
47:39the culture and trajectory
47:40of violence against women
47:42and sexual violence
47:43here in the United States
47:44and around the world
47:45and it's very clear
47:46that our justice system
47:48is not a trauma-informed
47:49justice system.
47:51The way in which
47:51the justice system
47:52is not only covering up
47:53the case now
47:54but re-traumatizing
47:55and putting victims
47:56at risk
47:57is a part of the problem
47:59but there are many laws
48:00that need to be changed
48:01in addition to the bill
48:03that was introduced yesterday
48:05by Congresswoman
48:05Ledger Fernandez.
48:07There's a whole slate
48:08of legislation
48:09around violence
48:10and sexual violence
48:11around women
48:11dealing with state statutes
48:14around the statute
48:16of limitations
48:17on these issues
48:18and building a system
48:20that not only believes
48:21survivors
48:22but supports them
48:23and so part of our goal
48:25over the coming months
48:26is going to be
48:27to lift up survivor stories
48:28at more length
48:29so that they can tell
48:30their stories
48:31so that young women
48:32especially
48:32and vulnerable people
48:34know what it looks like
48:36so they can help
48:37protect themselves
48:38and so that we can change
48:39the laws
48:40to protect survivors
48:41in a better way.
48:44Yeah.
48:44Go ahead.
48:44Okay, so I'm an engineer
48:48and so I have to be working
48:50for the U.S. Air Force
48:51and I'm currently
48:52to met the DS-12
48:53transvia DS-12 team
48:55so my question is
48:58that nuclear systems
49:00and aircraft systems
49:01have minimal safety
49:03requirements
49:04for those technologies.
49:06They have automatic
49:07interlock
49:07safety interlocks.
49:09Do you consider
49:10the operating system
49:13of the government
49:14an operating system
49:16and if so
49:17where are our minimum
49:19safety
49:20like NISP
49:22and ISO
49:23my son
49:25just to add
49:26was trapped
49:30in a structural defect
49:32after a major
49:33opium data breach
49:34in 2015
49:35where my high-level
49:37security clearance
49:38was compromised
49:39and since then
49:40my identity
49:42has been burned
49:43by paperwork
49:44and structural defects
49:47across the nation
49:49and internationally
49:49so I have been
49:51endlessly
49:52abducted
49:53by our own government
49:55repeatedly
49:57across the United Kingdom
49:59and then across the U.S.
50:01Nevada
50:02would it be okay
50:04if we can talk to you
50:06a little bit more
50:07offline about your case
50:08but I'll just say
50:09yeah
50:10I'll just
50:11I'll just say this
50:13no it's a political system
50:15it's not an operating system
50:16and we do need to
50:17reform the system
50:18we'll take one more question
50:20and then we're going to
50:21go ahead and head over
50:22to judiciary
50:23I have a lot of questions
50:42about where the
50:44two and a half million files
50:45that they're withholding
50:46are
50:47and whether they plan
50:48to release them
50:48and whether they plan
50:49to follow the law
50:50that's the reality
50:51because right now
50:52they're not following the law
50:53they're not following
50:53our subpoena
50:54from our committee
50:56and so we're going to
50:57continue to ask questions
50:58like that
50:59thank you
50:59I mean personally
51:01the only thing I want to hear
51:02from Pam Bondi
51:03is I resign
51:03but we know that's not
51:05going to happen today
51:06she needs to answer
51:08for not only her complete
51:10debacle of rolling out
51:11these files
51:12but her lack of compliance
51:14with the law
51:14and the ways in which
51:16she has systemically
51:17failed the survivors
51:18so thank you all so much
51:19thanks for joining us
51:22subscribe to one India
51:25and never miss an update
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