Epstein Files Fight Reaches Capitol Hill: 'Unseal Every Name, Every Detail' - Brother Of Accuser Demands Justice

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Women who accuse Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell of sex trafficking gathered at the US Capitol on Wednesday (September 3), demanding the release of all investigative files tied to Epstein's crimes. Survivors and their families rallied with signs reading“Trust the victims, not the felon” and“Stand Up for Survivors.”

“It's the voices of survivors of these crimes that are important, so we are here together to stand united,” said Liz Stein, who says her encounter with Maxwell and Epstein derailed her law school ambitions.“Instead of fulfilling my dream... overcoming the terror and the trauma that was inflicted on me by these sex traffickers became my decades-long fulltime career.”

Push for Congressional action

The rally coincided with a bipartisan effort in Congress to force a vote on releasing the so-called Epstein files. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) are leading a discharge petition that could compel the Justice Department to make all records public.

“I hope my colleagues are watching this press conference. I want them to think, what if this was your sister? What if this was your daughter?” Massie said.

Khanna echoed that call, saying,“Today we stand with survivors, we stand against big money, we stand to protect America's children. That is really what this is about.”

Emotional testimonies

Survivors described in detail how Epstein and Maxwell targeted them. Theresa J. Helm, now an advocate with the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, recalled being groomed by Maxwell at age 22: "Ghislaine, it was your calm, manipulative and fraudulent demeanor that cultivated my trust... It was you who sent me off to the home of a monster, knowing what was waiting for me.”

Helm said Maxwell's imprisonment is deserved:“You are the system - and now you are part of another system, one that you've earned... a prison system where you deserve to live in your 20-year sentence.”

Call for full disclosure

The rally follows the September 2 release of 33,295 pages of Justice Department documents by the House Oversight Committee. But critics said most of the files were already public.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the committee's ranking Democrat, said:“The 33,000 pages of Epstein documents James Comer has decided to release were already mostly public information. To the American people - don't let this fool you.”

Survivors vowed to press on if Congress fails to act.“We are the keys,” said Haley Robson, who alleges she was trafficked by Epstein starting at age 16.“We know the games. We know the players.”

Families demand justice

Sky Roberts, brother of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre - Epstein's most prominent accuser - delivered an emotional speech.

“No leniency, no deals, no special treatment. The Epstein documents must be unsealed. Every name, every detail. No more secrets, no more protection for those who preyed on the vulnerable.”

He added:“Finally, we demand full accountability from every enabler, every accomplice, every person in power who turned a blind eye.”

Next steps in Congress

Massie's discharge petition has so far drawn support from four Republicans - Massie, Nancy Mace, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert - along with growing Democratic backing. If all 212 House Democrats sign on, only two more Republicans are needed to reach the 218 signatures required to force a floor vote.

“We're here not as partisans, we're here as patriots,” Khanna said.“Progressives, independents, moderates, and yes, MAGA supporters, to demand truth and justice.”

Also Read | Epstein survivors reveal additional names to Congress: Oversight Chair Comer

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