As the Department of Justice continues to withhold the infamous Epstein files, the victims plan to speak up, some for the first time publicly, on Wednesday, as Congress returns to session.
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell will take part in a news conference on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 10:30 a.m. ET at the House Triangle in Washington.
The event, organized by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA-17) and Thomas Massie (R-KY-04), aims to bring the Epstein files back into the limelight after lawmakers left Washington early for its annual August recess to avoid a vote on the release of the files.
The news conference aims to share survivors’ stories against the backdrop of an administration working to bury the files and the alleged ties to President Donald Trump.
“We’ll hear from them [the victims] why releasing this information is so important,” said Rep. Khanna. “The survivors deserve justice and the public deserves transparency.”
Epstein Files Transparency Act
The proposed bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, or EFTA, would require the Department of Justice to hand over files that relate to Epstein and Maxwell including flight logs, individuals or entities named or referenced in criminal activities, immunity deals, plea bargains and sealed settlements.
“Congress must pass my bill with Rep. Thomas Massie, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, to force the full release of the Epstein files with redactions to protect the victims,” Khanna said.
The House resolution demands internal DOJ communications related to Epstein and incident reports related to Epstein’s suspicious suicide while in jail in 2019.
The Act would prohibit the withholding of documents due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure or foreign dignitary.”
“We all deserve to know what’s in the Epstein files, who’s implicated and how deep this corruption goes,” said Massie. “Americans were promised justice and transparency.”
The clock is ticking on a vote on the matter.
If the House doesn’t consider the EFTA within seven legislative days of its return, Reps. Massie and Khanna plan to circulate a discharge petition, a procedural tool used to bypass House leadership who may refuse to bring the matter to the floor for a vote.
When the petition is signed by 218 members, the House must then vote on the EFTA.
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Trump and Epstein’s friendship
The President doesn’t deny he was once friends with Epstein, but claims they had a falling out in the early 2000s.
There are dozens of photos of Trump with Epstein circulating online showing young girls in them.
Flight logs released by the DOJ show Trump took at least eight flights on Epstein’s private jet in the 90s.
Dozens of women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct including kissing and touching them without consent. Some of the women making the accusations said they met Trump through Epstein.
In 2023, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation for an incident involving writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump, in 2002, told New York Magazine that Epstein is “a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Khanna, a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said the committee has also reached out to Epstein’s estate for the bawdy birthday book that has been detailed in multiple media reports. The birthday book was a gift compiled by Maxwell in 2003 to celebrate Epstein’s 50th birthday.
The letter to the estate, signed by Khanna and Ranking Member Robert Garcia, called out Trump and the administration for the “desperate attempts to quell public interest in the release of the files.”
The estate responded to the request saying it would comply with a subpoena.
Trump allegedy submitted a poem and drawing of a naked woman to the book in 2003. The typewritten text allegedly from Trump read: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
The book also included messages from other wealthy and powerful associates of Epstein.
Khanna: ‘Pressure is working’
As pressure from the public and Democratic leaders continues to mount, Trump, who campaigned in part on releasing the files, now calls the controversary around the files a “hoax.”
Trump has railed against his former supporters on Truth Social saying that they have bought into this “bullshit, hook, line and sinker.”
Khanna said he will keep pushing for justice for the victims of Epstein, Maxwell and their associates.
“The pressure is working,” Khanna said. “I will continue pushing for the full release of the Epstein files and justice for the survivors,” he said.
The DOJ did provide some files to the committee on Aug. 22.
A Justice Department spokesperson told CNN in a statement that the department provided more than 30,000 pages to the committee.
However, Khanna said only three percent of the documents were new.
“The rest are already in the public domain,” said Khanna. “Less than one percent of files have been released. DOJ is stonewalling.”
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Crystal Graham
