00:00Good morning. My name is Annie Farmer and this is a photo of me and my sister Maria Farmer
00:07around the time I was 16 and she was 25. That's how old we were when we were abused by
00:13Epstein
00:14and Maxwell. Survivors have repeatedly stated that our pursuit of transparency and justice
00:20is a non-partisan issue. But given the political noise surrounding this case, I just want to
00:26remind people of some of the facts. In 1996, when my sister Maria bravely blew the whistle
00:33on this group by reporting to the FBI what Epstein and Maxwell did to both of us, they
00:39hung up on the phone on her and there was no follow-up of any kind. Bill Clinton was president.
00:45In 2006, the FBI came to us, finally interviewed us, and asked us both to be witnesses against
00:51Epstein. We were very anxious, but we agreed. And then we didn't hear back from them due
00:57to their infamous sweetheart deal. George W. Bush was president. In 2015, when the DOJ was
01:04sent FOIA requests for Maria's FBI files and they were denied, as they have been many times,
01:11Barack Obama was president. In 2019, when Epstein died in prison due to either negligence or foul
01:18play, Donald Trump was president. In 2023, Maria's attorneys sent a letter on her behalf
01:25to the government, requesting an investigation into the repeated law enforcement failures
01:29in this case, similar to what was done in the case of Larry Nassar. They declined to do so.
01:36Consequently, my sister filed notice that she would be suing the government for failing to
01:40uphold its legal, ethical, and moral duties in this case. Joe Biden was president.
01:46This year, after campaigning on a pledge to finally release the files, under Trump's second
01:51presidency, the DOJ announced they were closing the investigation into Epstein's co-conspirators
01:56and then transferred Ghislaine Maxwell into a prison camp, where it is well documented that
02:02she is receiving special treatment. This is not an issue of a few corrupt Democrats or a few
02:09corrupt Republicans. This is a case of institutional betrayal. Because these crimes were not properly
02:15investigated, so many more girls and women were harmed. My sister, because of her bravery,
02:22was repeatedly threatened and lived in fear, with dire consequences for her health and her career.
02:2830 years later, even as oceans of allegations and obvious truths have emerged, the government has
02:34still not chosen transparency. This is why we have all come together as one united voice to demand the
02:40release of all the Epstein files and to finally bring the truth out of the shadows.
02:45And I just want to remind the president and the attorney general that they are right now in violation of
02:53the law.
02:54And when the president makes his speech tonight, he is going to know that looking back at him,
03:00will be numerous survivors of Epstein's abuse. And that he is facilitating the single largest cover-up in modern American
03:11history.
03:13It's the single largest cover-up in modern American history. And who are we protecting? Why are we protecting
03:21powerful, wealthy, connected men? Why are we protecting billionaires from justice? Because we're always going to
03:33center the survivors. The single most important part of our investigation and what we're guided by is justice for
03:44Annie. It's justice for Maria. It's justice for so many that have been wronged, harmed, and terrorized by not just
03:55Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, but by the co-conspirators and all that helped them commit their abuse.
04:03Let's be clear, over 50% of the files have still not been released to the public.
04:12And we know as early as just today and yesterday, there are numerous files that we have confirmed
04:17that are missing from the DOJ that we know exist, including accusations and serious accusations,
04:26not just against the president but against others. It's time to release the files. It's time to center
04:32the survivors. And the president should know that even though he wants to call this a hoax,
04:36that our investigation is just getting started.
04:44Thank you so much Congressman Garcia. Your leadership has meant so much to myself and to so many of us.
04:53The government's original sin in this case was not following up in any way on my sister Maria Farmer's
04:591996 report to the FBI about Epstein and Maxwell and the powerful circle that surrounded them.
05:07Since that time, the girls and women who were abused by these criminals have been repeatedly
05:13neglected and re-victimized by our own government. The recent release of materials highlights this,
05:19as the names of many powerful individuals remain redacted, while the names, personal data, and even
05:26images, nude images, of many victims were released. Rather than apologize for this failure, this DOJ has
05:35doubled down on denial and distraction. We are tired of the games. When those we elect to office misuse their
05:44positions, it harms us all. We are here to remind our elected leaders and other Americans that there is
05:51always a choice. You can sit by and watch the abuse of power, as so many wealthy, educated, connected
06:00individuals did in the Epstein case. Or you can do the right thing, the courageous thing. You can speak
06:07out the way my sister Maria Farmer did, because of her concern for her younger sisters. You can speak out
06:15the way Virginia Roberts Joufray did, after she looked down and saw her daughter and knew she deserved
06:22safety and protection. I know that courage is contagious because these women inspired me to find
06:29my voice. And the more I have used it, the more I have heard from others who were speaking out
06:34about their
06:35own experiences of abuse and standing with us in demanding true transparency, the whole truth
06:41that survivors and the American people deserve. Thank you.
06:53I think it was about not even a week ago, maybe, that I was sitting in a TV studio, hearing
07:02some
07:04men talk about what this next legislative process entailed and how it was really incredibly unlikely
07:10that we would ever make it to pass this point. You know, maybe we get the votes we needed in
07:15the House.
07:16And so I just think that the fact that we are here with a nearly unanimous vote today says so
07:22much,
07:23and that we are really about the power of people coming together and the power of women coming together.
07:30So I just I want to also express my gratitude to all the people standing here behind us. We
07:37we have not been heard for so long. And I think the power of being heard and being recognized and
07:43being
07:43validated is incredibly healing. So thank you so much.
07:52You know, I there are so many people that are with me in my heart today. And I've spoken quite
08:02a bit
08:02today about my sister Maria Farmer, who was a whistleblower who bravely spoke out in 1996 against
08:09Epstein. And I had the chance to speak with her right before coming here today about what I had seen
08:14transpire. And she, you know, is at home because of health problems that I believe were very directly
08:21related to the stress that all this caused. But she was full of joy hearing about what's happened
08:27and hearing that we are so close to being where we need to be to finally bring the light into
08:33the
08:33darkness of this case. But I, of course, am also thinking about others in this case. And we know
08:40that they're the harms that are caused by these types of traumas have long lasting results, right?
08:47And and there are people that are no longer with us, in part due to the trauma that they suffered
08:51because of this case. We are one of those women I've been thinking of today is Carolyn Adriano,
08:57who spoke out so bravely in the Maxwell trial, which I know as a witness in that case was an
09:04extremely
09:04stressful experience. And, and after that, she lost her life to, you know, I think, you know,
09:13issues related to this, to just the stress of all the trauma that she had been through in her life.
09:20And I think that's what you people, you know, sometimes don't understand about the lasting effects
09:24of these types of crimes. And, you know, I've had the opportunity, the great privilege of my life
09:32as a psychologist to work with, you know, people who have been victims of these types of crimes in
09:39all different settings. Um, one of the most transformative experiences of my life was working
09:44with Native Alaskan women in rural Alaska, Yupik women, where there are very high rates of child
09:52sexual abuse and exploitation. And, you know, what I saw from them in terms of the courage and
09:59resilience and moving forward really inspired me, um, you know, before long before, you know,
10:05I had ever spoken out in this case, right. And since then working, doing therapy with women,
10:12I've seen so much of how these, the long lasting impacts of these things. Um, and so I am thinking
10:19about so many women as I am here today. Um, and most of all, you know, I am thinking
10:31about Virginia Roberts Giffre. We would not be here without her. There is no doubt in my mind about
10:37that. And, you know, um, I very much, I think like many people, you know, there were fights going on.
10:46There were definitely women that, you know, worked so hard for so long for justice, but
10:50I had, you know, given up on the idea that, that anything would happen in this case. Um,
10:57yeah, after the sweetheart deal, I felt like everyone knew about Epstein. We would see things
11:01in tabloids about Epstein. This was not a secret, right. Um, and when I first saw the photo of Virginia
11:09in Prince Andrew, I was at my job. I remember so clearly the moment that it popped up on my
11:14computer
11:15screen and I just kind of was taken aback and I just immediately knew the truth behind that photo.
11:23And I felt the bravery of this woman who was taking on the world with this story and was being
11:29met with
11:29such contempt and disrespect. And, you know, at a time before the Me Too movement, when there was
11:37such this kind of attitude of disregard for people that spoke out in this way. And it was a short
11:44time
11:44later that I was contacted by an attorney and told about her defamation suit and spoke with my sister.
11:52And we agreed that we would be witnesses in that case when we had no desire. We thought this was
11:56behind us, but we thought if this woman is brave enough to take on Maxwell and to bring this into
12:02the
12:02light, we have to stand with her. And then, you know, I had the opportunity to meet Virginia in 2019
12:12and seeing her in this, you know, this insane group of reporters, everyone mobbing, you know,
12:21and she just had this poise and this strength that I felt like it was incredible to see. It was
12:28incredible
12:28to be witness to. She immediately rallied all of us together and had this vision for what could happen,
12:35what people could learn from this, what she wanted to do with this platform and push that forward in
12:42such a brave way. And I think the fact that her memoir has just been released as a bestseller and
12:49we are here today is not a coincidence. She is changing hearts and changing minds, you know,
12:55all over this country and all over the world. And so I just, I just want to, you know, take
13:00a moment.
13:01I feel like she's here with us. I feel like she can see this.
13:04So thank you, Virginia, for all that you've done for all of us.
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13:24We'll see you next time.
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