Epstein victims push for US transparency, slamming ‘shameful’ cover-up

Survivors of abuse linked to disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday, urging lawmakers to release the full cache of Epstein-related documents.

Speaking to reporters, they denounced what they described as a “shameful” cover-up by the US justice system, citing reports that suggest the files may implicate President Donald Trump, among others.

Through tears, the victims told their stories, insisting that the abuses inflicted on them were not a “hoax.”

Anouska De Georgiou, the first survivor to take the podium, said the victims had formed a strong group and were stepping up their efforts.

"I'm no longer weak, I am no longer powerless, and I'm no longer alone," she said. "The days of sweeping this under the rug are over. We, the survivors, say 'no more,'" she said.

Trump quietly briefed that his name appears in Epstein files: Report

US Attorney General Pam Bondi has told President Trump that his name appears in Justice Department files about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

She called on lawmakers to support the release of records that the Department of Justice has so far withheld from Congress.

"This is not a hoax. It's not going to go away," said Marina Lacerda, one of the survivors and a central witness in Epstein's 2019 indictment.

The victims’ emotional appeal adds pressure to a growing bipartisan movement in Congress demanding full transparency and accountability in the handling of the Epstein case.

President Trump has dismissed the push to release all Epstein-related files as a “Democrat hoax.” This marks a reversal from his 2024 campaign promise, where he said he would have “no problem” releasing the files, including Epstein’s alleged client list.

Trump's name has appeared in Epstein’s contact book and flight logs, which were part of the documents released by the Department of Justice earlier this year. The contact details were redacted.

None of the documents explicitly identifies Trump as a client involved in Epstein’s criminal activities. Trump himself has denied any wrongdoing and claims he had a falling out with Epstein in the early 2000s.

Critics and the victims, however, are frustrated by the lack of transparency, with some survivors now compiling their own client list based on personal experiences and knowledge.

FBI redacted Trump’s name from Epstein files citing ‘privacy exemptions’: Report

Report says the FBI redacted Donald Trump’s name and those of other public figures from investigation files concerning Jeffrey Epstein.

“ I think it’s shameful that this has been called a hoax,” US Republican representatives Thomas Massie, accompanied by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Ro Khanna, said.

“Hopefully, today we can clear that up. This is not a hoax. This is real. There are real survivors. There are real victims to this criminal enterprise. And the perpetrators are being protected because they’re rich and powerful and political donors to the establishment here in Washington, DC. So today, we’re standing with these survivors.”

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Trump, who was a close friend of the disgraced financier and was named in the Epstein files before the FBI redacted his name, claims the document is fake, forged by the Democrats to tarnish his political image.

In a phone interview on conservative network Real America's Voice in July, Trump said the Democrats and former officials had doctored files relating to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender. 

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