00:00Time to release the files. It's time to center their survivors. And the president should know
00:05that even though he wants to call this a hoax, that our investigation is just getting started.
00:10Good morning. My name is Annie Farmer, and this is a photo of me and my sister Maria Farmer
00:18around the time I was 16 and she was 25. That's how old we were when we were abused by
00:23Epstein
00:24and Maxwell. Survivors have repeatedly stated that our pursuit of transparency and justice
00:30is a nonpartisan issue. But given the political noise surrounding this case, I just want to remind
00:36people of some of the facts. In 1996, when my sister Maria bravely blew the whistle on this group
00:44by reporting to the FBI what Epstein and Maxwell did to both of us, they hung up on the phone
00:50on her
00:51and there was no follow-up of any kind. Bill Clinton was president. In 2006, the FBI came to us,
00:59finally interviewed us, and asked us both to be witnesses against Epstein. We were very anxious,
01:04but we agreed. And then we didn't hear back from them due to their infamous sweetheart deal.
01:09George W. Bush was president. In 2015, when the DOJ was sent a FOIA request for Maria's FBI files
01:17and they were denied, as they have been many times, Barack Obama was president. In 2019,
01:25when Epstein died in prison due to either negligence or foul play, Donald Trump was president.
01:31In 2023, Maria's attorneys sent a letter on her behalf to the government requesting an investigation
01:37into the repeated law enforcement failures in this case, similar to what was done in the case of Larry
01:42Nassar. They declined to do so. Consequently, my sister filed notice that she would be suing the
01:48government for failing to uphold its legal, ethical, and moral duties in this case. Joe Biden was
01:54president. This year, after campaigning on a pledge to finally release the files, under Trump's second
02:01presidency, the DOJ announced they were closing the investigation into Epstein's co-conspirators and
02:07then transferred Ghislaine Maxwell into a prison camp, where it is well documented that she is
02:12receiving special treatment. This is not an issue of a few corrupt Democrats or a few corrupt
02:20Republicans. This is a case of institutional betrayal. Because these crimes were not properly
02:25investigated, so many more girls and women were harmed. My sister, because of her bravery, was
02:32repeatedly threatened and lived in fear, with dire consequences for her health and her career.
02:3930 years later, even as oceans of allegations and obvious truths have emerged, the government has
02:44still not chosen transparency. This is why we have all come together as one united voice to demand the
02:51release of all the Epstein files and to finally bring the truth out of the shadows. And I just want
02:56to
02:56remind the president and the attorney general that they are right now in violation of the law. And when the
03:05president makes a speech tonight, he is going to know that looking back at him will be numerous survivors of
03:14Epstein's abuse. And that he is facilitating the single largest cover-up in modern American history. It's the single largest
03:25cover-up in modern American history. And who are we protecting? Why are we protecting powerful, wealthy,
03:34connected men? Why are we protecting billionaires from justice? Because we are always going to center the survivors.
03:45The single most important part of our investigation and what we're guided by is justice for Annie. It's justice for
03:57Maria. It's justice for so many that have been wronged, harmed, and terrorized by not just Jeffrey Epstein and
04:06Ghislaine Maxwell, but by the co-conspirators and all that helped them commit their abuse.
04:14Let's be clear, over 50% of the files have still not been released to the public.
04:22And we know as early as just today and yesterday, there are numerous files that we have confirmed
04:27that are missing from the DOJ that we know exist, including accusations and serious accusations,
04:36not just against the president but against others. It's time to release the files. It's time to center
04:42the survivors. And the president should know that even though he wants to call this a hoax,
04:47that our investigation is just getting started.
04:55Thank you so much, Congressman Garcia. Your leadership has meant so much to myself and to so many of us.
05:03The government's original sin in this case was not following up in any way on my sister
05:09Maria Farmer's 1996 report to the FBI about Epstein and Maxwell and the powerful circle that surrounded them.
05:17Since that time, the girls and women who were abused by these criminals have been repeatedly
05:23neglected and re-victimized by our own government. The recent release of materials highlights this,
05:30as the names of many powerful individuals remain redacted, while the names, personal data,
05:36and even images, nude images, of many victims were released. Rather than apologize for this failure,
05:44this DOJ has doubled down on denial and distraction. We are tired of the games. When those we elect to
05:53office
05:53misuse their positions, it harms us all. We are here to remind our elected leaders and other Americans
06:00that there is always a choice. You can sit by and watch the abuse of power, as so many wealthy,
06:08educated,
06:09connected individuals did in the Epstein case. Or you can do the right thing, the courageous thing.
06:16You can speak out the way my sister Maria Farmer did, because of her concern for her younger sisters.
06:23You can speak out the way Virginia Roberts-Dufresne did, after she looked down and saw her daughter
06:30and knew she deserved safety and protection. I know that courage is contagious because these women
06:38inspired me to find my voice. And the more I have used it, the more I have heard from others
06:43who
06:44were speaking out about their own experiences of abuse and standing with us and demanding true
06:50transparency, the whole truth that survivors and the American people deserve. Thank you.
07:03I think it was about not even a week ago, maybe, that I was sitting in a TV studio hearing
07:12some men
07:14talk about what this next legislative process entailed and how it was really incredibly unlikely that we
07:21would ever make it to pass this point. You know, maybe we get the votes we needed in the House.
07:26And so I just think that the fact that we are here with a nearly unanimous vote today says so
07:33much,
07:33and that we are really about the power of people coming together and the power of women coming together.
07:41So I just I want to also express my gratitude to all the people standing here behind us. We
07:47we have not been heard for so long. And I think the power of being heard and being recognized and
07:53being validated is incredibly healing.
07:55So thank you so much.
08:02You know, I there are so many people that are with me in my heart today. And I've spoken quite
08:12a bit today
08:12about my sister Maria Farmer, who you know, was a whistleblower who bravely spoke out in 1996 against
08:19Epstein. And I had the chance to speak with her right before coming here today about what I had seen
08:25transpire. And she, you know, is at home because of health problems that I believe were very directly
08:31related to the stress that all this caused. But she was full of joy hearing about what's happened
08:37and hearing that we are so close to being where we need to be to finally bring the light into
08:43the
08:43darkness of this case. But I, of course, am also thinking about others in this case. And we know
08:50that they're the harms that are caused by these types of traumas have long lasting results. Right. And
08:57and there are people that are no longer with us, in part due to the trauma that they suffered because
09:01of
09:02this case. We are one of those women I've been thinking of today is Carolyn Adriano, who spoke
09:08out so bravely in the Maxwell trial, which I know as a witness in that case was an extremely stressful
09:15experience. And, and after that, she lost her life to, you know, I think, you know, issues related to this,
09:25to just the stress of all the trauma that she had been through in her life. And I think that's
09:31what you
09:32people, you know, sometimes don't understand about the lasting effects of these types of crimes.
09:38And, you know, I've had the opportunity, the great privilege of my life as a psychologist to work with,
09:45you know, people who have been victims of these types of crimes in all different settings.
09:51One of the most transformative experiences of my life was working with Native Alaskan women in rural Alaska,
09:59Yupik women, where there are very high rates of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
10:05And, you know, what I saw from them in terms of the courage and resilience and moving forward
10:10really inspired me, you know, before, long before, you know, I had ever spoken out in this case, right?
10:19And since then, working, doing therapy with women, I've seen so much of how these, the long lasting impacts of
10:26these things.
10:28Um, and so I am thinking about so many women as I am here today.
10:32Um, and most of all, you know, I am thinking.
10:41South Virginia Roberts Giffre.
10:44We would not be here without her. There is no doubt in my mind about that.
10:49And, you know, um, I very much, I think like many people, you know, there were fights going on.
10:56There were definitely women that, you know, worked so hard for so long for justice, but
11:01I had, you know, given up on the idea that, that anything would happen in this case.
11:06Um, yeah, after the sweetheart deal, I felt like everyone knew about Epstein.
11:11We would see things in tabloids about Epstein. This is not a secret, right?
11:14Um, and when I first saw the photo of Virginia and Prince Andrew, I was at my job.
11:22I remember so clearly the moment that it popped up on my computer screen and I just kind of was
11:27taken aback.
11:28And I just immediately knew the truth behind that photo.
11:33And I felt the bravery of this woman who was taking on the world with this story
11:38and was being met with such contempt and disrespect. And, you know, at a time, you know,
11:45before the Me Too movement, when there was such this kind of attitude of disregard for people that
11:51spoke out in this way. And it was a short time later that I was contacted by an attorney and
11:58told
11:58about her defamation suit and spoke with my sister. And we agreed that we would be witnesses in that case.
12:05When we had no desire, we thought this was behind us, but we thought if this woman is brave enough
12:09to take on Maxwell and to bring this into the light, we have to stand with her.
12:16And then, you know, I had the opportunity to meet Virginia in 2019 and seeing her in this
12:24swarm, you know, this insane group of reporters, everyone mobbing, you know, um, and she just had
12:32this poise and this strength that I felt like it was incredible to see. It was incredible to be
12:39witness to. She immediately rallied all of us together and had this vision for what could happen,
12:46what people could learn from this, what she wanted to do with this platform and push that forward in
12:52such a brave way. And I think the fact that her memoir has just been released as a bestseller,
12:59and we are here today is not a coincidence. She is changing hearts and changing minds,
13:05all over this country and all over the world. And so I just, I just want to, you know, take
13:10a moment.
13:11I feel like she's here with us. I feel like she can see this.
13:14So thank you, Virginia, for all that you've done for all of us.
13:18Thank you, Virginia, for all of us.
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