Epstein survivors and their families are renewing calls for accountability as more details from the Epstein files emerge. In an emotional appeal, Sky Roberts, brother of late survivor Virginia Giuffre, said the moment demands courage from the nation to confront uncomfortable truths. Victims say justice has been delayed for too long and are urging authorities to ensure transparency, prosecute those responsible, and protect survivors.
The growing public focus on the files is intensifying pressure on political leaders, legal institutions, and law enforcement to act decisively, as advocates insist the case is no longer only about past crimes but about restoring trust in the justice system.
#EpsteinFiles #JeffreyEpstein #EpsteinVictims #SurvivorVoices #Accountability #HumanRights #LegalReform #Transparency #USPolitics #BreakingNews #Crime #Investigation #VictimSupport #LawAndJustice #PublicTrust #CourtWatch #GlobalNews #Politics #SocialJustice #NewsUpdate
~PR.498~HT.408~ED.532~GR.510~
The growing public focus on the files is intensifying pressure on political leaders, legal institutions, and law enforcement to act decisively, as advocates insist the case is no longer only about past crimes but about restoring trust in the justice system.
#EpsteinFiles #JeffreyEpstein #EpsteinVictims #SurvivorVoices #Accountability #HumanRights #LegalReform #Transparency #USPolitics #BreakingNews #Crime #Investigation #VictimSupport #LawAndJustice #PublicTrust #CourtWatch #GlobalNews #Politics #SocialJustice #NewsUpdate
~PR.498~HT.408~ED.532~GR.510~
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I want to thank the extraordinary women who are here, these extraordinary and courageous survivors.
00:11Thank you for continuing to speak out, for refusing to be silenced or ignored.
00:19Through their courage, we are building a safer future for all of our children.
00:25And we will continue to stand with them.
00:29All of our elected leaders should be standing with them and fighting alongside them.
00:36But what have we seen instead from the President of the United States?
00:41He tells us to move on, to get over it, to forget about it, and look away.
00:48And tonight, we are prepared to hear more lies, more deflections, more distractions.
00:55Everything but the truth that the American people expect and that these brave survivors deserve.
01:04Let me be clear to Donald Trump.
01:08This is not going away.
01:12These survivors and all of us are not going away.
01:17This is an issue about who we are as a people, who we are as a country.
01:24Is this a place where billionaires can get away with abusing children?
01:29Or are we a country of laws, of accountability, of basic morality?
01:35We reject the rotten corruption at the heart of this broken administration.
01:41We will not stand for their lies and for their cover-up.
01:49We will stand with these women until they get the justice that they're owed.
01:55And I am so proud to be here with all of you and to turn this podium over to a
02:02champion for justice, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.
02:12Thank you so much, Whip Clark, for your incredible leadership.
02:16Thank you to the DWC and Chairwoman Leisure Fernandez.
02:20And most of all, thank you to the survivors who have just continued to push for justice.
02:27You are inspiring all of us.
02:30And I especially want to thank and recognize my constituent.
02:34Come up here and sit next.
02:37My constituent and an Epstein survivor, Marika Chartouni.
02:44Marika is, first of all, known by the survivors as the sleuth of the survivors.
02:51She has looked at all the documents and has been an incredible help to me as I have been looking
02:56at them as well.
02:57And she was also one of the first to answer the FBI's call in 2019 to talk about what she
03:06suffered at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein.
03:08And I'm just so grateful to you, Marika, for being here today.
03:10When Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before the House Judiciary Committee two weeks ago, the world saw her turn her
03:19back on the survivors rather than apologize for the pain that her Department of Justice has caused them.
03:26Today, the world will see Donald Trump have to face these survivors right there in the House gallery
03:34and answer for why ambassadors and princes have been arrested in other countries.
03:39But here in America, not a single investigation has been announced into the pedophiles and the predators of Epstein's horrific
03:48sex trafficking ring.
03:50He must answer for why the Department of Justice has still refused to release three million remaining files
03:57and why they continue the massive cover-up of a depraved Epstein class.
04:03He must answer to the people across the country and the world who see that powerful predators in government, academia,
04:10finance, and law
04:11have all been part of abusing and raping young girls and joking about it with zero accountability.
04:20No, Donald Trump, this is not a hoax.
04:24We are not moving on from this.
04:26You have not been exonerated nor have any of these predators.
04:31We are here today, many of us in white, because women know what it means to be silenced, dismissed, and
04:39pushed back,
04:40and we are not going to stand for it.
04:43These survivors, as Lauren said to me, are shaking the earth with their strength.
04:50And because of them and the public that is standing up with and for them, we see the cracks emerging.
04:56We demand investigations right here at home into predators like Leon Black, Steve Tisch, Jess Staley, and so many more.
05:07These courageous survivors are going to show that tonight is about their strength,
05:12about the strength of those across the country who understand that without justice, there can be no progress.
05:19So tonight is about our movement that will not stop until we get truth, transparency, and real accountability.
05:26And now, let me pass it over to, oh, to our wonderful ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Jamie Raskin.
05:43Good afternoon, everybody.
05:45I'm here with my guests to the State of the Union, Skye and Amanda Roberts.
05:50Skye is the brother of the late Virginia Giuffre.
05:54Amanda is his wife, and they have been passionate advocates for the rights and the interests of all of the
06:03survivors
06:04and victims of sexual abuse and rape and trafficking all over the country.
06:11And I know that everyone is glued to the discoveries that are coming out
06:17as we read through the three million of the six million documents
06:21that were compelled to be disclosed by the Epstein Transparency Act.
06:28And that's all of the good, because we're learning a lot there.
06:32But understand that making progress that way is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack.
06:38And it's not a haystack that's been arranged to make it easy for us to find the most relevant information.
06:44I would encourage everybody, in addition to looking online, and if you can, going over to the Department of Justice
06:51to look at the unredacted files, to read Virginia Giuffre's remarkable book, Nobody's Girl.
06:57Because that book locates this entire controversy within the proper social context.
07:06She was a victim of child sex abuse before.
07:10Before she got into the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and his sex trafficking ring with Ghislaine Maxwell,
07:19she was a victim of trafficking and rape and sexual abuse there.
07:24And she continued to wrestle with those issues throughout her life.
07:29And if you ask the question why this issue is not going away,
07:33it's not going away because there are millions of people across America
07:37who have suffered the same kinds of abuse, rape, trafficking, and exploitation that Virginia did
07:44and the women who were members of the Epstein Survivor Movement did.
07:49And there have been scandals at Michigan State and Ohio State and within many churches,
07:56within the Boy Scouts, in all of our hometowns.
08:00That is the social basis for this movement and why Donald Trump is not going to be able to sweep
08:06it under the rug.
08:07This is why, despite all of her stony, cold indifference,
08:13Pam Bondi is not going to be able to make this go away.
08:17We have an entire country of survivors and people who are allied with the survivors,
08:24and we are going to insist that the truth come out, that justice be done,
08:29and the perpetrators be held accountable in every single case.
08:33That's the importance of us getting through this documentation to the underlying facts.
08:38And I want to thank all the survivors here for waking up every day,
08:42just like the people of Minneapolis, and going right back to the front lines of this fight.
08:47And tonight, that includes the State of the Union Address,
08:50where the President is going to have to see that this is a nation of survivors and their allies.
08:56Thank you very much, Pramila.
09:01And now, Skye and Amanda Roberts.
09:10Good afternoon, everyone.
09:13My name is Amanda Roberts, and I am the sister-in-law of Virginia Roberts Jouffre.
09:20I stand here for my sister, for my survivor sisters,
09:27and for every survivor around the world who has been forced into silence.
09:33Today is monumental.
09:36Today, we say to this administration and to the nation that survivors deserve to be seen.
09:43We will not be moved, we will not be silenced, and we will not go away.
09:49We are continuing to trail.
09:52We are continuing the path that Virginia laid down for us.
09:57Today, the President will speak about his agenda.
10:01He may say it's time to move on from this Epstein thing.
10:06Mr. President, today we are saying we will not move on, and the world is not moving on.
10:19The world clearly sees the pattern in how this administration has treated survivors with disgrace, content, and dismissal.
10:31But I want to speak directly to the American people.
10:36This moment is about all of us.
10:39The state of this union, the state of survivors, and the state of our country.
10:43And many of us feel dismayed, disrupted in spirit, by the intentional chaos that has been created to distract us
10:54and desensitize us to the harsh realities of Jeffrey Epstein,
10:59Ghislaine Maxwell, and the horrific crimes committed by their rich and powerful friends.
11:05Today, as Americans, we find ourselves at a crossroads.
11:09We have a choice to make.
11:11As American people, what do we want for our future, and what do we want for our children?
11:18We can choose to let the Epstein case remain a stain on American history.
11:24Another chapter where the rich and powerful escape accountability, and survivors are told to be quiet.
11:31Or we, the people, can decide it is time for change.
11:38So don't look away from us.
11:42Don't look away from Virginia.
11:46And do not leave survivors behind once again.
11:53Stand with us.
11:54Hold space with our stories.
11:57Sit with our truths.
11:59Let them break you.
12:03Move you and reshape you to act.
12:08Together we can build a nation that is fair and true.
12:13A nation where money and power cannot bend the law.
12:18Where life, where title does not grant innocence.
12:21Where every voice matters and every survivor matters.
12:26I'll end with Virginia's words.
12:28I look forward to the days when money and power don't stop the truth from coming out.
12:34And the righteous prevail.
12:37Well, sissy, today is the beginning of that day.
12:50Hey, everyone.
12:51My name is Sky Roberts, and I am the brother of Virginia Roberts-Jufres.
12:56There are moments in a nation's life where we are tested.
13:00Not by our words, but by what we are willing to confront.
13:04Today we stand at one of these moments.
13:07America is at a crossroads.
13:09We can choose to let the Epstein case remain a stain on our history, another chapter where the powerful are
13:14protected.
13:15The truth is buried, and survivors are asked to carry the consequences in silence.
13:21Or we can choose something different.
13:24We can choose truth.
13:25We can choose accountability.
13:28And we can choose to build a country where no one, no matter how wealthy, connected, or politically insulated, stands
13:34above the law.
13:36Today we are here proudly representing our sister, Virginia Roberts-Jufres.
13:41Standing with members of Congress and with survivors across the nation and across the world.
13:47Because Virginia's story is the story so many survivors know too well.
13:51A mountain of obstacles that seem impossible to climb.
13:55Pain so deep, it doesn't fit into words.
14:02And a system that too often makes the survivor carry the burden instead of the perpetrator.
14:08But I am here to say proudly, and with absolute conviction, that what Virginia did for this world will not
14:15be in vain.
14:21She may have left this earth, but her soul is still here.
14:31It lives in every survivor who decides to speak.
14:35It lives in every victim who is still finding their voice.
14:39And it lives in every person who refuses to accept a country where exploitation is met with impunity.
14:46Virginia did not just survive, she fought.
14:49She pushed back against a culture of silence.
14:52She forced the world to look at what it wanted to ignore.
14:55And she proved what happens when an ordinary person decides they will not be erased.
15:04So today, I invite the world into this community.
15:08Not as spectators, but as participants.
15:12Because on days like this,
15:16we may hear powerful voices try to distract us,
15:19to divide us, to turn accountability into politics,
15:22and truth into a talking point.
15:25But I want to speak directly to the families and communities watching.
15:28The brothers, the mothers, the sisters, and the fathers.
15:33Every person who loves someone who has been harmed.
15:36Choose unity.
15:38Choose love.
15:41And choose the courage it takes to stand with survivors,
15:44not only when it is easy,
15:45but when it is expensive,
15:47when it is uncomfortable,
15:48and when it challenges powerful people.
15:52Virginia had a deep passion for bringing people together.
15:55She had a deep love for her survivor sisters.
15:58And she had a deep love for the millions of victims and survivors around the world
16:02who may never be known by name and whose lives matter just the same.
16:08To say she trailblazed through obstacles is an understatement.
16:12Virginia helped build a road for survivors to walk
16:15toward truth,
16:16toward dignity,
16:17toward justice.
16:18And we are here today to carry her torch down that road.
16:22We are asking Congress,
16:24the public,
16:25and every institution with the power to act
16:27to carry that torch with us.
16:29And that brings me to why we are here.
16:31Not only to speak,
16:32but to demand action.
16:34If we truly believe survivors deserve more than sympathy,
16:37if we truly believe justice should not depend on status,
16:40then we must put it into law.
16:43That is why we are calling on Congress
16:45to advance Virginia's law.
16:48Virginia's law is about saying clearly
16:50that the rules that protected abusers and traffickers for decades
16:53will no longer stand.
16:55It is about closing the gaps that powerful people exploit.
16:58It is about strengthening accountability
17:00so survivors are not forced to fight alone
17:03for years against the machine built to wear them down.
17:06It is not vengeance.
17:07It is not protection.
17:08It is prevention.
17:10And it is justice.
17:12And to anyone who thinks this moment can be reduced
17:14to a headline or a media cycle
17:16or even a Super Bowl moment,
17:18for political theater,
17:20let me be clear.
17:22The only thing more powerful than hate
17:24is love.
17:26And this is not going away.
17:28We will not stop until the truth is faced
17:31and justice is pursued for Virginia,
17:33for her survivor sisters,
17:34and for every victim and survivor around the world
17:37who deserves to know
17:38that their lives are worth more
17:40than someone else's reputation.
17:51Skye and Amanda, thank you so much.
17:53Thank you for bringing Virginia right here with us.
17:57And we will see her and carry on her legacy.
18:01I now have the great privilege of introducing my friend
18:04from across the Capitol complex,
18:07leader Chuck Schumer.
18:13How are you?
18:18Well, good afternoon,
18:19and thank you for accommodating me, everybody.
18:23Look, while we're here,
18:24the truth must come out.
18:27Trump says he's going to give a long speech tonight,
18:30but there's one thing he refuses to talk about,
18:33the Epstein files.
18:35Trump campaigned on releasing the files,
18:37but now one year into his presidency,
18:40he calls them a hoax.
18:42Shame on him.
18:43He says the American people need to move on.
18:46We're not moving on, are we?
18:48That is outrageous to say move on.
18:51That's an insult to the victims and the survivors
18:54standing behind me.
18:56For years,
18:57survivors of Epstein's abuse were ignored.
19:00They were doubted.
19:00They were dismissed.
19:01But their presence here at the State of the Union
19:04sends a clear, powerful message.
19:08Survivors will not be silenced.
19:12My partner in our legislation.
19:15The powerful will be held accountable.
19:19We will not rest until that happens.
19:21And no one, not even the President,
19:23is above the law.
19:24Trump cannot continue to bury the truth.
19:29The full Epstein files must be released now.
19:33Nearly every single member of both chambers,
19:36Democrat, Republican, independent,
19:38worked for the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
19:41But for three months,
19:43Trump's Justice Department has broken the law,
19:46blacking out page after page.
19:49This is their version of releasing the files.
19:55That's it.
19:56That's all they do.
19:59See it?
20:00Shame.
20:01Shame is right.
20:04This is not transparency.
20:06It's a cover-up.
20:09Survivors deserve justice.
20:11That's why I'm proud
20:13to have introduced Virginia's law
20:15with Democratic Woman Caucus Chair
20:18Legere Fernandez.
20:20Thank you so much.
20:22To eliminate the federal statute of limitations.
20:25Barriers that have kept
20:27too many survivors
20:29from pursuing justice.
20:32There can be no half measure of justice.
20:35The American people
20:36and the brave survivors
20:37stand behind me
20:39deserve the full truth.
20:41And a statute of limitations
20:43on something like this
20:45when women go through things
20:47that are so painful
20:48and have to wrestle
20:49and grapple with it
20:50for the rest of their lives.
20:52It should be up to the victim
20:55when there's a prosecution.
20:57Not up to some law
20:58that has no knowledge,
20:59really,
21:00in a certain sense,
21:02of what these people
21:03have gone through.
21:05When President Trump
21:06looks into the crowd tonight
21:08to give his speech,
21:09he will also look into the faces
21:11of the survivors behind me.
21:14Trump knows he can't keep hiding.
21:17Trump knows it's time
21:18to end the secrecy
21:19and release the full Epstein files.
21:21Now,
21:23he says he doesn't know it,
21:25but he will know it.
21:27We're going to make him know it.
21:28That's why you're here tonight.
21:31The survivors have waited long enough.
21:33The time for justice is now.
21:35And I truly want to thank
21:37the many Epstein survivors
21:39standing with us here today.
21:41You've undergone unimaginable pain.
21:45Unimaginable pain.
21:46And I know you live with it constantly.
21:48You can't make it go away.
21:49It happened.
21:51You live with it.
21:53But
21:54these beautiful people,
21:57instead of cursing the darkness
22:00that is part of their lives
22:01because of what happened to them,
22:03are lighting a candle.
22:04Lighting a candle to make sure
22:06this doesn't ever happen again.
22:09Thank you for that courage.
22:11Thank you for that inspiration.
22:13And now I want to turn it over
22:15to Dani Benske.
22:16She's a New Yorker and a survivor
22:18who I'm so honored as my guest
22:21at the State of the Union tonight.
22:23Dani.
22:31Thank you, Senator Schumer.
22:34I just have to, like, lower this.
22:37So I'm an Epstein survivor
22:39from 2004, 2005.
22:41I was 17 years old
22:43when I met Jeffrey Epstein.
22:45Back then I was a teenager,
22:46but I was really a child.
22:48I was looking for an adult
22:50to help protect me
22:51from what felt like monsters,
22:53only to find
22:54that the monster was him
22:56all along.
22:57Now I look to the government
22:59for help,
22:59and they're no better.
23:02Gaslighting and manipulating victims
23:04the same tactics
23:05as Jeffrey and Gilad.
23:08The DOJ ensures us
23:10that they're focused on our safety,
23:11but only to exploit us further.
23:14There are two cases happening here.
23:17Two cases of abuse.
23:19The first case
23:20is one that we endured
23:22while we were ensnared
23:23in the largest sex trafficking ring
23:25that this country has known to date.
23:27And the second is the abuse
23:29of our government.
23:31They're covering everything up
23:32and protecting power,
23:34not the young and the vulnerable.
23:37As we prepare to attend
23:39the State of the Union,
23:40survivors and this country
23:42have so many questions
23:43that need to be answered.
23:45The first one is,
23:47where are the rest of the files?
23:49The truth must come out.
23:55Why are there no investigations
23:58when there are plenty of people
24:00in these files to investigate?
24:01Have we read them?
24:03Why is the FBI director
24:04out there partying
24:05like a college kid
24:06when he should be investigating
24:08the vast criminal enterprise?
24:13This administration needs to do better.
24:15How can anybody feel safe
24:17in this country
24:18when our president's sympathies
24:20are going to the former Prince Andrew
24:23and not to survivors?
24:26There are a few things
24:28that really need to be done immediately.
24:30First is the release of all of the files,
24:32which we know.
24:33Next is to hold accountable
24:35those who continuously exploit.
24:37And the third is to pass Virginia's bill
24:40We need to pass Virginia's bill
24:42because justice should never, ever expire.
24:46Release the damn files.
24:57We'll now hear from ranking member Robert Garcia.
25:10Hey, everyone.
25:11I'm going to just make a few comments
25:14and I just wanted to start by saying
25:16that it is always an honor
25:19to just be here with the courage of Annie.
25:23For those that don't know Annie Farmer
25:25and her story
25:26and the story of her family,
25:28we are always in awe of you.
25:30And of everything that you and your family
25:32have gone through,
25:32we just want to know that we love you
25:33and we support you always.
25:34I also, absolutely.
25:38I also just want to thank
25:39the whip for her leadership.
25:41Also to all of the women
25:43in our caucus
25:45that are providing
25:47so much support
25:49to the survivors
25:50that are part of our investigation
25:52that are leading on this issue.
25:55I know that both of our committees
25:57are so grateful.
25:59Not judiciary,
26:01oversight Democrats,
26:02our Democratic women
26:03are leading the way
26:04on this issue
26:05and we are forever grateful
26:07to every single one of you
26:08for your leadership,
26:09your voice,
26:09and your courage
26:10in uplifting these incredible women.
26:13So thank you so much for that.
26:17And I just want to remind
26:19the President
26:20and the Attorney General
26:22that they are right now
26:23in violation of the law.
26:26And when the President
26:27makes his speech tonight,
26:28he is going to know
26:30that looking back at him
26:32will be numerous survivors
26:35of Epstein's abuse
26:36and that he is facilitating
26:39the single largest cover-up
26:42in modern American history.
26:44It's the single largest cover-up
26:47in modern American history.
26:50And who are we protecting?
26:52Why are we protecting
26:53powerful, wealthy, connected men?
26:57Why are we protecting billionaires
27:01from justice?
27:03Because we are always going
27:05to center the survivors.
27:08The single most important part
27:10of our investigation
27:11and what we're guided by
27:13is justice for Annie.
27:16It's justice for Maria.
27:19It's justice for so many
27:21that have been wronged,
27:23harmed,
27:24and terrorized
27:25by not just Jeffrey Epstein
27:28and Ghislaine Maxwell,
27:29but by the co-conspirators
27:31and all that helped them
27:33commit their abuse.
27:35Let's be clear,
27:38over 50% of the files
27:41have still not been released
27:42to the public.
27:43And we know as early
27:45as just today and yesterday,
27:47there are numerous files
27:48that we have confirmed
27:49that are missing from the DOJ
27:51that we know exist,
27:54including accusations
27:56and serious accusations,
27:58not just against the president,
27:59but against others.
28:01It's time to release the files.
28:03It's time to center
28:04the survivors.
28:05And the president should know
28:06that even though he wants
28:07to call this a hoax,
28:09that our investigation
28:09is just getting started.
28:16Thank you so much,
28:17Congressman Garcia.
28:19Your leadership has meant
28:20so much to myself
28:22and to so many of us.
28:24The government's original sin
28:26in this case
28:27was not following up
28:28in any way
28:29on my sister,
28:30Maria Farmer's,
28:311996 report to the FBI
28:34about Epstein
28:35and Maxwell
28:36and the powerful circle
28:37that surrounded them.
28:39Since that time,
28:40the girls and women
28:42who were abused
28:43by these criminals
28:43have been repeatedly neglected
28:46and re-victimized
28:47by our own government.
28:48The recent release
28:50of materials highlights this
28:51as the names
28:52of many powerful individuals
28:54remain redacted
28:55while the names,
28:57personal data,
28:58and even images,
28:59nude images,
29:00of many victims
29:02were released.
29:03Rather than apologize
29:04for this failure,
29:06this DOJ
29:07has doubled down
29:08on denial
29:09and distraction.
29:10We are tired
29:12of the games.
29:13When those we elect
29:14to office
29:15misuse their positions,
29:17it harms us all.
29:18We're here to remind
29:19our elected leaders
29:20and other Americans
29:22that there is always
29:23a choice.
29:24You can sit by
29:26and watch
29:27the abuse of power
29:28as so many wealthy,
29:30educated,
29:31connected individuals
29:32did in the Epstein case.
29:34Or you can do
29:35the right thing,
29:36the courageous thing.
29:38You can speak out
29:39the way my sister
29:40Maria Farmer did
29:41because of her concern
29:43for her younger sisters.
29:45You can speak out
29:46the way Virginia Roberts
29:48Joufray did
29:48after she looked down
29:50and saw her daughter
29:51and knew she deserved
29:53safety and protection.
29:56I know that courage
29:58is contagious
29:58because these women
29:59inspired me
30:00to find my voice.
30:02And the more
30:02I have used it,
30:03the more I have heard
30:04from others
30:05who are speaking out
30:06about their own
30:07experiences of abuse
30:08and standing with us
30:09and demanding
30:10true transparency,
30:12the whole truth
30:13that survivors
30:14and the American people
30:16deserve.
30:22Now we'll hear
30:23from Rep. Maxine Dexter.
30:30Good afternoon.
30:31I am honored
30:32to be here.
30:33I am Maxine Dexter,
30:35a mother,
30:35a physician,
30:36and the proud
30:37U.S. representative
30:37for Oregon's Third.
30:38And I'm deeply honored
30:40to have Lisa Phillips
30:42here as my guest
30:43tonight for the State
30:44of the Union,
30:45a survivor
30:46of Epstein's abuse,
30:47a powerful voice
30:48for justice,
30:49and she will attend
30:50the State of the Union
30:51tonight on my behalf.
30:53Tonight,
30:54as Epstein survivors
30:55like Lisa
30:55stare down
30:56our government,
30:57a government
30:58that has failed them
30:59for decades,
31:00you will all
31:01bear witness
31:02to an important shift
31:03in power
31:04in this nation.
31:05The wealthy
31:06and influential
31:07have persistently
31:08been shielded
31:09from accountability
31:09for their actions.
31:11This has certainly
31:12been true
31:12for the Epstein
31:13class of abusers.
31:14This exclusive,
31:16twisted club
31:17has gone to great lengths
31:18to protect their own,
31:20to bury the truth,
31:21and to perpetuate harm
31:23to young girls
31:24and women
31:24across the world.
31:26Not anymore.
31:27Tonight,
31:28as Trump tries
31:29to spend his first year
31:30in office
31:30as anything other
31:31than a crusade
31:32to protect himself
31:33and the Epstein
31:33club of abusers,
31:35Lisa's presence,
31:36the survivor's presence,
31:39makes clear
31:40that the powerful
31:41will not be protected.
31:43It is due
31:44to the persistent
31:45courage and resilience
31:46of survivors
31:47that abusers
31:48will be held
31:49accountable
31:49and brought to justice.
31:51Accountability
31:52means the Department
31:53of Justice
31:53fully investigates
31:55and prosecutes
31:55the crimes disclosed
31:57in the Epstein files
31:58when we get to see them.
31:59I was there
32:00just a few hours ago.
32:01There's hundreds
32:02of papers
32:03that are completely
32:04blacked out still.
32:05The brave women
32:07who have persistently
32:08advocated for transparency
32:09and accountability
32:10deserve our deepest
32:11respect and gratitude.
32:13Thank you, Lisa.
32:14Thank you all
32:16for being here,
32:17for your voice,
32:18for your courage.
32:20You've helped us
32:21protect our girls,
32:22my girl,
32:23from evil
32:24and have sheltered
32:25and will help us
32:27unshelter the powerful
32:28who have been
32:29hiding too long.
32:30I proudly stand
32:31with you,
32:32demanding the time
32:33of protecting abusers
32:34to come to an end.
32:36Thank you,
32:37and I've been healed
32:37to Lisa Phillips now.
32:53Good afternoon.
32:55I'm Lisa Phillips,
32:56and I'm a survivor
32:57of Jeffrey Epstein
32:58and his world.
32:59I want to thank
33:00Congresswoman Dexter
33:01of Oregon
33:02for inviting me
33:02to be here today.
33:03It's such an honor.
33:05I always get emotional
33:07because every time
33:08I look at my survivor
33:08sisters behind me,
33:10I am reminded
33:10that they represent
33:12at least 200 victims.
33:14I don't want you guys
33:15to forget that.
33:16So when I stand here,
33:18I do not stand alone.
33:19I represent hundreds
33:21of faceless,
33:21nameless survivors.
33:23Some I have had
33:24the honor of knowing
33:25and supporting
33:25over the last few years,
33:27young women and girls
33:28who were never given a voice.
33:31My survivor sisters
33:32and I have come
33:32to Capitol Hill
33:33many times this past year,
33:34as you know,
33:35and we will keep coming back
33:37again and again
33:38until all the Epstein files
33:40have been released
33:41because accountability
33:42is impossible
33:43without full transparency.
33:46Those of us
33:48who live through
33:48the horrors
33:49of the Epstein world
33:50have always known
33:51this was never just a story
33:52about one powerful man.
33:54It was never just a crisis
33:56of wealth and privilege
33:57in America.
33:58It is and always has been
34:00a global crisis
34:01of corruption.
34:03We are only beginning
34:04to understand
34:05the depth and breadth
34:06of it,
34:06and the question remains
34:08how many more powerful figures
34:10on the international stage
34:12will be named
34:12when the remaining files
34:13are released.
34:14The world deserves to know.
34:17That is why
34:18it has been an honor
34:19to recently speak
34:20with elected officials
34:21in several European nations,
34:23urging each country
34:25to land,
34:25sorry,
34:26urging each country
34:27to launch
34:28independent investigations
34:29into every single person
34:31of power
34:31named in these files.
34:34Every person named.
34:36Some may have committed
34:38no crimes.
34:39Some may have.
34:41But every person
34:42connected to wrongdoing
34:43in Epstein's world
34:44in any nation
34:45must be investigated
34:46and, if appropriate,
34:49held accountable.
34:50Every single one.
34:52We're not going away.
34:54We're not fading
34:55into silence.
35:07Hi, my name is
35:08Laura Bloom McGee.
35:09My remarks are very short
35:11because my survivor sisters
35:12have said a lot.
35:13I want to thank
35:14Congresswoman,
35:15I believe she just stepped out,
35:16Julia Brownlee of California
35:18that graciously invited me
35:20here from Arkansas.
35:21I have not heard
35:22from any of our leaders
35:23from Arkansas,
35:24so thank you,
35:26Congresswoman Brownlee.
35:27Speaking out about
35:28sex trafficking
35:29saved lives.
35:31Being here with my sisters
35:33has helped save mine.
35:36This has never been
35:38about politics.
35:39It's about little girls
35:41and young women
35:42who have and continue
35:44to be exploited
35:45by the powerful.
35:48Justice should be
35:49non-negotiable.
35:52Transparency should be
35:53non-negotiable.
35:55Integrity should be
35:56non-negotiable.
35:58No one should escape
35:59accountability.
36:00We will continue fighting
36:02for independent investigations
36:04and prosecutions
36:05as the evidence warrants.
36:07We will not be silenced.
36:13Melanie and Representative
36:15Andrea Romero.
36:17Melanie, Representative
36:19Melanie Stansbury-Meyer-Meyer-Meyer-Meyer-Meyer-Meyer-Meyer.
36:34I will introduce to you
36:35the original co-sponsor
36:36of the Epstein Files
36:38Truth Commission
36:39in the state of New Mexico,
36:41Andrea Romero,
36:42the statehouse representative.
36:47I want to share
36:48a few thoughts today
36:49as we prepare
36:50to enter the chamber
36:52tonight
36:52to face Donald Trump
36:54and to demand
36:56justice
36:56for not only
36:57the survivors
36:58standing behind us,
36:59but all survivors
37:01who have been failed
37:02by the U.S. Department
37:03of Justice
37:04in prosecuting crimes
37:06against children
37:07and women
37:08and boys
37:09and people
37:10who have been exploited
37:11for decades.
37:12We are gathered here today
37:14to fight for one thing,
37:16justice
37:17and accountability,
37:18and we will not
37:21be silenced.
37:22We will not
37:23move on.
37:25And that is why
37:26I am grateful
37:27to be joined
37:27by my guests
37:28who will talk about
37:29the work that we are doing
37:30in New Mexico.
37:32But tonight matters
37:34more than ever
37:35because survivors
37:36deserve to be seen,
37:38they deserve to be heard,
37:40and their presence
37:41matters more than ever
37:42as the world's eyes
37:43are upon us.
37:45Because let me remind you
37:46that every survivor
37:48who is here
37:48who raised their hand
37:50a couple of weeks ago
37:51during Pam Bondi's hearing
37:53knows that they have been
37:54failed by this administration
37:56and many administrations
37:58in getting the justice
38:00that they so rightly deserve.
38:02We refuse to let
38:03the powerful hide
38:05behind money,
38:06power,
38:06and influence,
38:08and we refuse
38:09to remain silent
38:10about Donald Trump's
38:12hiding about the truth
38:13of his own
38:14individual investigation.
38:16These are the files
38:18that the FBI
38:19has removed
38:20from their public
38:21Department of Justice
38:24database.
38:26The yellow files here
38:28are the files
38:29that President Trump
38:30is hiding.
38:31The yellow files here
38:32are investigations
38:33with a woman
38:34who was abused
38:35as a minor
38:35and who alleged
38:36that Donald Trump
38:37was her abuser.
38:39These are the files
38:40that they are hiding
38:41among many millions
38:43of more.
38:44But I want to just
38:45close things out
38:46by sharing with you
38:47the words of perhaps
38:49one of the most important
38:50people who cannot
38:51be here today,
38:52and that is
38:53Virginia Dufresne.
38:54So let me read you
38:56just the closing passage
38:57from her book.
38:59If you've read this far,
39:01I hope my story
39:02has moved you
39:03to seek ways
39:04to free yourself
39:06from a bad situation,
39:08say to stand up
39:09for someone else in need,
39:10or to simply reframe
39:12how you judge victims
39:13of sexual abuse.
39:15Each one of us
39:16can make a positive change.
39:18I truly believe that.
39:19I hope for a world
39:21in which predators
39:21are punished,
39:22not protected.
39:24Victims are treated
39:25with compassion,
39:26not shamed.
39:27And powerful people
39:28face the same consequences
39:30as anyone else.
39:32I yearn, too,
39:33for a world
39:34in which perpetrators
39:35face more shame
39:37than their victims do,
39:38and where anyone
39:39who's been trafficked
39:40can confront their abusers
39:42when they're ready,
39:43no matter how much
39:44time has passed.
39:46She then goes on
39:47to say,
39:48we don't live
39:49in this world yet,
39:50but tonight,
39:51we're here to stand
39:53with the survivors
39:54to say that we do.
39:56And with that,
39:57I would like to introduce
39:58our amazing
39:59State House Representative,
40:01Andrea Romero.
40:06Good afternoon, everyone.
40:07Again, I'm
40:08House State Representative
40:09Andrea Romero
40:10from the District of Santa Fe,
40:13and I am the chair
40:14of the Epstein Truth Commission.
40:16I am honored
40:18to stand alongside
40:19these courageous survivors today,
40:21and I want them to know
40:23New Mexico sees you,
40:25New Mexico believes you,
40:27and New Mexico
40:28is taking action.
40:29Last week,
40:31our New Mexico House
40:32voted unanimously
40:33to create a truth commission,
40:35a bipartisan group
40:37of state legislators
40:38committed to investigate
40:39Jeffrey Epstein's crimes
40:40in New Mexico,
40:42find out what happened
40:43at Zorro Ranch,
40:44and hold perpetrators
40:45and enablers accountable.
40:48If merited,
40:49we'll turn these files
40:51into trials.
40:52Yes!
40:57Our commission
40:58will pull together
40:59the full story
41:00of what happened
41:01in our state.
41:02We will determine
41:03whether local
41:04and state officers
41:05appropriately responded
41:06when survivors
41:08came forward.
41:08We will use
41:10our subpoena power
41:11to compel witnesses
41:13to share what they know.
41:15And we will create
41:16a safe,
41:17survivor-centered space
41:18for victims
41:19to be finally heard.
41:21We are already working.
41:23We held our first meeting
41:24the morning after
41:25the commission
41:26was approved
41:27because we will
41:28no longer wait
41:29for the answers
41:30we should have
41:32had years ago.
41:34This is about
41:35the truth.
41:36this is about
41:37accountability.
41:38This is about
41:39making sure
41:40that no child,
41:42no vulnerable person
41:43ever has to go through
41:45what the survivors
41:46standing here today
41:47have endured.
41:49New Mexico
41:50is stepping up
41:50for the survivors,
41:52for our communities,
41:53and for every future
41:55generation
41:56that deserves
41:56to grow up safe.
41:58I want to thank you all
41:59and thank you
42:00for this opportunity.
42:04so the last survivor
42:06that we will hear
42:07from tonight
42:08and I want to
42:09re-emphasize
42:10the point that
42:11was made earlier
42:12that each one
42:13of these survivors
42:13who has come
42:14to speak today,
42:15each one of the
42:16family members
42:17who has come
42:17to share their tears
42:18with us today
42:19represents hundreds.
42:23Represents hundreds.
42:24Think about that.
42:27Think about the number
42:28of girls and women
42:30who were abused
42:31over the decades.
42:33And one of those women
42:34is Liz Stein
42:35and I want to thank
42:36Mary Gay Scanlon
42:37because she is the guest
42:39of both me
42:40and Mary Gay Scanlon
42:41and she has taken
42:42the pain
42:43that she endured
42:44and turned it
42:46into advocacy
42:47as she continues
42:48to work
42:49with survivors
42:50and against trafficking.
43:03My name is Liz Stein.
43:05I met Jeffrey Epstein
43:06and Ghislaine Maxwell
43:07when I was a senior
43:08in college,
43:09just 21 years old,
43:11in 1994.
43:13My involvement
43:14with them lasted
43:15approximately three years.
43:18Before the State
43:19of the Union,
43:20it is worth
43:21asking ourselves
43:22what our state
43:23of moral courage is.
43:26human trafficking
43:28persists largely
43:29due to our
43:30cultural discomfort
43:31with directly
43:32naming sexual violence.
43:35Talking about
43:36sexual assault
43:37not only makes
43:38us uncomfortable,
43:40it exposes failure.
43:43It reveals
43:44where power
43:45has been protected
43:46at the expense
43:47of the vulnerable.
43:48It forces us
43:50to confront
43:50who is protected
43:52in this country
43:52and who is not.
43:54The crimes
43:55of Jeffrey Epstein
43:56were not committed
43:58in isolation.
44:00They were enabled
44:01by social,
44:03financial,
44:03political systems
44:04that look the other way.
44:07Survivors
44:08have been telling
44:09the truth
44:10for decades
44:11since Maria Farmer
44:12first came forward
44:13in 1996.
44:16The late
44:17Virginia Giuffre
44:18endured public scrutiny
44:19and character assassination,
44:21but the release
44:22of the files
44:23confirmed
44:24that what she was saying
44:25all along
44:26was the truth.
44:28For more than
44:2930 years,
44:30survivors have pushed,
44:32fought,
44:33testified,
44:33and organized
44:34to bring attention
44:35to the crimes
44:36of Epstein
44:36and his associates.
44:39Trauma does not
44:41operate
44:41on a legislative timeline.
44:43Justice delayed
44:45by law
44:46is justice denied
44:47by design.
44:49around the world
44:51investigations
44:51have reached
44:53the powerful,
44:54but our
44:54Department of Justice
44:56and this administration
44:57have handled
44:58the release
44:59of information
45:00in a way
45:00that leaves
45:01survivors
45:02and the public
45:03asking
45:04why the United States
45:07appears reluctant
45:08to lead
45:09on accountability
45:10in a case
45:11that happened
45:11largely on our soil.
45:14The world
45:15is watching.
45:18Survivors
45:18are watching.
45:20And it is
45:21embarrassing
45:21that we are not
45:22setting the standard.
45:25Courage is contagious,
45:27but so is impunity.
45:29We the people
45:30was never
45:31meant to mean
45:32we the powerful.
45:35Accountability
45:36is not vengeance.
45:38It is fidelity
45:39to the rule
45:40of law,
45:40which is the baseline
45:42requirement
45:43of a functioning
45:44democracy.
45:46History
45:47will not remember
45:48how carefully
45:49we avoided
45:50discomfort.
45:52It will remember
45:53whether we demanded
45:55the truth.
46:02So,
46:03as we heard
46:04today
46:04from my colleagues
46:06and from the survivors,
46:08you know,
46:09it strikes me
46:09that there were
46:10two incredible
46:11themes
46:12one is that
46:13the courage
46:14and the persistence
46:15of the survivors
46:16to expose
46:17the horror
46:18of the sexual
46:19crimes
46:21and abuses
46:21that happened
46:24during the Epstein
46:24ring
46:25was not only
46:27to decry
46:29the idea
46:30that women
46:32can be used,
46:33abused,
46:34and then discarded.
46:35It wasn't
46:36only
46:37to talk about
46:38that pain
46:39that I think
46:40Americans
46:40feel
46:41when we see
46:42this
46:42and why
46:43this has
46:43rung
46:44such a tune
46:44because we
46:46don't want
46:46that to happen
46:47to ourselves
46:48even though
46:49one in four
46:50women
46:51suffers
46:51sexual assault.
46:53we don't want
46:53we don't want it
46:53to happen
46:54to our children
46:55to our sister
46:56to our wives
46:57but we also
46:59are seeing
46:59in this moment
47:00that these women
47:02are some of
47:03the most powerful
47:04and consequential
47:06women
47:07of generations.
47:08Of generations.
47:10Because they
47:12have brought us
47:13to a moment
47:13where they are
47:14saying
47:15it is not
47:16okay
47:17for us
47:18to live
47:19in a society
47:20where the rich
47:21and the powerful
47:22and the well
47:23connected
47:24get away
47:25with anything
47:26and everything
47:26and that
47:27is what
47:27has happened
47:28until today
47:29and until
47:31you all
47:32started
47:34and did
47:35stop
47:35because it
47:37was your
47:37persistence
47:38it was your
47:39courage
47:40that is
47:41contagious
47:42that has
47:43brought us
47:43here
47:44and it
47:45has brought
47:46us to a
47:46point
47:46where
47:473 million
47:48files
47:49have been
47:50released
47:503 million
47:51have not
47:523 million
47:54have not
47:55and it has
47:55brought us
47:56to a point
47:56where we know
47:58that even
47:58as those
47:59files
48:00are released
48:01that the
48:01Epstein
48:02survivors
48:03the up to
48:04a thousand
48:05girls
48:07and young
48:07women
48:08don't have
48:09recourse
48:10because when
48:11the Department
48:12of Justice
48:12refuses to
48:13criminally
48:14investigate
48:14they cannot
48:16sue
48:18civilly
48:19so that
48:20is why
48:20Virginia's
48:21law
48:21is so
48:22important
48:22and it's
48:23important
48:23that we
48:23pass
48:24Virginia's
48:25law
48:25because
48:25the
48:26abusers
48:27should not
48:28have time
48:28as one
48:29of their
48:29weapons
48:30and right
48:31now they
48:31do
48:31because
48:32right now
48:33the statute
48:34of limitations
48:34is 10
48:35years
48:36and what
48:36can you
48:37do in
48:3710 years
48:37you are
48:38simply
48:38recovering
48:39from the
48:40trauma
48:40that you
48:41have
48:42gone
48:42through
48:43and so
48:44that is
48:44why we
48:45are hoping
48:45that everybody
48:46everybody
48:47that it
48:48is a
48:48bipartisan
48:49effort
48:49to pass
48:51Virginia's
48:51law
48:52not only
48:53to honor
48:53your sister
48:54and your
48:55sister
48:56but to
48:57honor all
48:58the women
48:59and men
49:00and boys
49:01and girls
49:02that get
49:03abused
49:03because what
49:05the Epstein
49:06survivors
49:07have taught
49:08us
49:08and what
49:09this moment
49:10is about
49:11is that
49:12we matter
49:13that we
49:15matter
49:15that people
49:17who are not
49:17powerful
49:18matter
49:19that as
49:20Liz said
49:21we the
49:21people
49:22is not
49:23we the
49:23powerful
49:24that we
49:25the people
49:25in this
49:26moment
49:26is what
49:27this
49:27constitution
49:27was made
49:28for
49:29this
49:29constitution
49:30that we
49:30are celebrating
49:31was made
49:32for this
49:33moment
49:33where we
49:34will say
49:35no
49:35it is
49:37not okay
49:37to always
49:38favor the
49:39rich
49:40and powerful
49:40and well
49:41connected
49:41but it
49:42is important
49:43that we
49:43stand up
49:45for those
49:47who are
49:47scared
49:48and vulnerable
49:49and weakened
49:50and preyed
49:51upon
49:52whether that
49:53is because
49:53you're hungry
49:54or you need
49:55health care
49:55or you need
49:56protection
49:56or you need
49:58somebody to be
49:59investigated
50:00criminally
50:01which I think
50:02we need to
50:02have a whole
50:03lot more
50:03of that
50:03happening
50:04and with that
50:05I just want
50:06to thank
50:06the Epstein
50:07survivors
50:11our votes
50:12are with you
50:13and we
50:13will always
50:14be with you
50:14as chair
50:15of the
50:15Democratic
50:15Women's
50:16Caucus
50:16I thank
50:17you for
50:17coming today
50:18and we
50:19have a little
50:19bit of time
50:20I don't know
50:20how much
50:21time we
50:21have
50:22before
50:22we don't
50:23have any
50:23time
50:24but because
50:26we have
50:27to go
50:28vote
50:29so is
50:30that right
50:31we're all
50:32going to go
50:32just go
50:32vote
50:32votes have
50:33been called
50:33so thank
50:34you so
50:34very much
Comments