USA TODAY National
WASHINGTON – Women who say they were sexually abused by the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein spoke out in an emotional press conference where they called for the full release of the criminal investigative files in the case.
The demands pose a challenge for President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders who for years demanded more information about Epstein, a former friend of the president, but now say full disclosure could hurt Epstein's victims.
Trump called the Epstein furor a Democratic "hoax" on Sept. 3.
But several survivors of Epstein's abuse said they supported an effort by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, D-California to force a House vote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said a vote to force the Justice Department to release more documents is no longer necessary after a House committee made public 33,295 pages of subpoenaed records on Sept. 2.
Victims met privately Sept. 2 with members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee to describe their abuse, leaving Rep. Nancy Mace, herself a survivor of sexual assault, teary and hyperventilating.
Epstein died by suicide in jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His aide, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Here is what to know about the release of Epstein documents:
US military jets doing White House flyover temporarily drown out Epstein accusers
During the news conference, a military flyover of the US Capitol drowned out some of the Epstein accusers’ remarks.
Was it a coincidence?
The White House said the fighter jets were participating in maneuvers to honor a fallen Polish army pilot killed recently in a training exercise − and to "celebrate the special relationship between our two countries" as President Donald Trump welcomed new Polish President Karol Nawrocki to the White House.
When the jets roared overhead many of the event attendees looked skyward. Some of the women publicly accusing the disgraced late financier of horrific acts shook their head in disbelief. One had to stop talking mid-sentence and wait for them to pass by before resuming..
“It’s difficult to overstate how disrespectful this flyover was, given this press conference was known about by the admin,” one of the attendees, Amber Woods, said in a post on X.
--Josh Meyer
Trump’s name reportedly appears in Epstein files; he calls demands for release a ‘hoax’
Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump in May that he was named multiple times in the government's files on Epstein, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and CNN.
Trump was friends with Epstein during the 1990s and flew repeatedly on his private plane. But Trump has denied visiting Epstein’s private Caribbean island, where much of the abuse allegedly occurred, and he has not been accused of wrongdoing. Trump ousted Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club for allegedly recruiting away his workers.
Trump, who said during the 2024 he would be open to releasing the files, told reporters Sept. 3 in the Oval Office that demands to release the records had become partisan.
“It's really a Democrat hoax,” Trump said, despite four House Republicans joining the fight to force the Justice Department to release the documents. “Because they're trying to get people to talk about something that's totally irrelevant to the success that we've had as a nation since I've been president.”
Trump noted that the House Oversight and Reform Committee released 33,295 pages of documents Sept. 2."I know that no matter what you do, it's going to keep going,” Trump said. “I think, really, I think it's enough.”
The committee recently subpoenaed an Epstein birthday book that reportedly contains a bawdy contribution from Trump. The president denied drawing the ribald picture or writing an accompanying message, and he has sued the Wall Street Journal, seeking $10 billion, after the paper wrote about it.
--Bart Jansen
Epstein accuser: Documents will help ‘put the pieces of my own life back together’
A newly disclosed Brazilian accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, Marina Lacerda, called on lawmakers and the Justice Department to not only release all of the Epstein files but to give her and other victims unredacted copies of everything connected to their cases.
“I never thought that I would find myself here. The only reason that I am here is because it feels like the people who matter in this country finally care about what we have to say,” said Lacerda.
Lacerda said she was only 14 or 15 when she began giving massages for extra money at Epstein’s mansion in New York City, and that she was ultimately sexually abused by Epstein. She identified herself as “Minor victim 1 in the federal indictment of Jeffrey Epstein in New York in 2019.”
“There are many pieces of my story that I can't remember, no matter how hard I try,” Lacerda said. “The constant state of wonder causes me so much fear and so much confusion.”
To help her heal “and put the pieces of my own life back together,” she said, “the least they can do is give me my documents that they have about me. The other survivors deserve the same respect from our government.”
Lacerda also said that when an FBI agent showed up at her door in 2008 to interview her about Epstein, that Epstein himself “hired a lawyer to represent me, or more like, to represent him. … I couldn't ask any questions, and I had no idea what was going on. I was terrified.”
--Josh Meyer
‘President Trump…please use that influence and power to help us’
One of the Epstein accusers, Anouska De Georgiou, reportedly met and socialized with President Trump through her associations with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
“The future US president was reported in 1999 to have ‘fallen under the spell’ of Anouska De Georgiou, having been introduced to her by Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell and a close friend of Epstein,” The Times of London reported in 2019.
“I chose to come because this bill really matters,” De Georgiou said outside the Capitol. “I speak today not only in service of my own recovery from trauma inflicted by Maxwell and Epstein, but to honor the lives the courage and sacrifices of Virginia Giuffre, Carolyn Andriano and others who could not continue.”
Andriano, 36, died of a drug overdose in May 2023. For four years, Epstein had abused her at his Palm Beach mansion, starting in 2001 when she was 14, she had said. “Their voices mattered,” De Georgiou said. “Their stories must not be forgotten.”
De Georgiou didn’t mention any relationship with Trump. But she appealed to him for help.
“You have so much influence and power in this situation,” De Georgiou said. “Please use that influence and power to help us, because we need it now, and this country needs it now.”
--Josh Meyer
Why are lawmakers fighting over the Epstein files?
The House fight over the Epstein files deals with legislation that aims to the force the Justice Department to release its criminal investigative files.
The legislation from Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, D-California, calls for the release of “all investigations, prosecutions or custodial matters” about Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. That could include flight logs, names associated with criminal activities, civil settlements, and immunity or plea agreements.
The targets could be companies or governmental agencies with alleged ties to Epstein’s trafficking or financial activities.
“No record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary,” the bill said.
But leading Republicans oppose the release of more records. President Donald Trump voiced concern about uninvolved people being named unfairly in the files. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said the bill isn’t necessary.
If 218 lawmakers – a House majority – sign a petition, that would force a vote on the bill. But Republicans who sign will be bucking the president and their party leaders.
Assuming all Democrats sign the petition, Massie said he has 216 signatures, including four Republicans: himself and GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado. He needs two more Republicans to join them for the effort to succeed.
--Bart Jansen
Lawyer: Epstein documents will appall Americans
Bradley Edwards, a lawyer representing Epstein survivors, said the House petition from Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna aims to force the Justice Department to release all the confidential documents from the criminal investigation.
If a majority of the House signs what is called a discharge petition, it will force a vote on the measure. The goal is to release documents from the CIA, FBI and financial papers that document who supported Epstein and his sex trafficking conspiracy.
“When you see the documents, you are going to be appalled,” said Edwards, who has already viewed many of the documents through civil lawsuits. “When you sign the discharge petition, it means nothing should be off limits.”
--Bart Jansen
‘Two more signatures’ to release full Epstein files, Massie says
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, kicked off the lawmaker news conference by saying he and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, need only two more Republicans to vote with them to order the release of the Epstein files.
Massie, who has singled out House Speaker Mike Johnson for trying to keep the files secret, needs 218 signatures to move what's called a discharge petition forward over the objection of the House Republican leadership, who normally control which bills are brought to the House floor.
Massie said he was encouraged by all the alleged Epstein victims who have come forward, including those who spoke at a rally earlier on Sept. 3.
“I hope they encourage other survivors to come forward and to tell their stories, not just of Jeffrey Epstein and (Ghislaine) Maxwell, but anywhere in the country,” Massie said.
“This is a litmus test. Can we drain the swamp? Are there people who are outside of the reach of the law? I don't think there should be.”
“So hopefully today, we'll get two more signatures on the discharge petition. That's all we need,” Massie said.
--Josh Meyer
‘No more slow-rolling’: lawyer for 11 Epstein survivors
Arick Fudale, a lawyer who represents 11 Epstein survivors, said government officials should have stopped Epstein years earlier than they did and that the investigative files for his case should be released.
Fudale introduced a client named Rosa, who stood next to him and had never before been identified publicly, as an Epstein survivor. Fudale said Rosa was trafficked from Uzbekistan in 2009 – after Florida officials charged Epstein but let him go with what the lawyer called a “slap on the wrist.”
Federal officials later charged Epstein in 2019 and he died a month later by suicide in a jail awaiting trial.
“None of you should have to be here today because they should just release the files,” Fudale said. “No more slow-rolling. No more meetings. No more strategy. No more interviews behind closed doors. Release the files.”
--Bart Jansen
‘No leniency, no deals, no special treatment’ says late Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre’s brother
The brother of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most vocal accusers, told the rally crowd that he and his family will never stop pushing until all of the so-called Epstein files are released and justice is served on others who participating in his alleged sex-trafficking ring.
"No leniency, no deals, no special treatment,” a tearful Sky Roberts said. “The Epstein documents must be unsealed. Every name, every detail. No more secrets, no more protection for those who prayed on the vulnerable.”
“And finally, we demand full accountability from every enabler, every accomplice, every person in power who turned a blind eye,” Roberts said.
Roberts’ wife Amanda then read from Virginia Giuffre’s journal sometime before she died by suicide in April: “I look forward to the days when money and power does not stop the truth from coming out and the righteous prevail.”
--Josh Meyer
Accuser says she was ‘trafficked across this great nation’ thanks to Ghislaine Maxwell
Epstein accuser Theresa J. Helm said she is a survivor of both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, but that Maxwell is to blame for gaining her trust and then betraying her.
“I was systematically recruited, trafficked across this great nation, groomed and assaulted,” said Helm, who now works with the National Center on Sexual Exploitation in Washington, DC.
“Ghislaine, it was your butler that greeted me at the front door of your beautiful home, and it was your calm, manipulative and fraudulent demeanor that cultivated my trust,” Helm said. “That coercive system that you have mastered was entirely end-game oriented, and that end game was to feed the perversion of you and Jeffrey through sexual violence.”
“It was you who sent me off to the home of a monster, knowing what was waiting for me,” Helm said of Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for Epstein-related sex crimes.
Helm called on Epstein accusers and lawmakers to now “get rid of the perpetrators and bad actors.”
--Josh Meyer
Epstein's accomplices must be identified, victim says
Lisa Phillips, a podcaster who interviews the survivors of sex trafficking, said she was taken to Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2000 to shoot photos and build her modeling career but instead became a victim of his abuse.
She demanded the government release the names of wealthy and powerful men who helped Epstein over the decades.
“Who was he to our government that he was allowed to operate openly for decades?” Phillips asked. “Why was he allowed to sponsor visas for young models, using their immigration status as leverage to abuse them and silence them?”
For lack of a government release, Phillips said she was organizing Epstein victims to gather their own list of accomplices to share. “It will be done by survivors, for survivors,” she said. “History is watching.”
--Bart Jansen
Victim tells rally ‘criminals must be held accountable’
At a Standing with Survivors rally near the Capitol, Liz Stein said criminals who assisted Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell should be held accountable.
Stein said she was a 21-year-old senior in college when she met Maxwell, who introduced her to Epstein. But their sex-trafficking relationship derailed her plans for law school, she said.
“It felt like somebody shut out the lights to my soul,” Stein said. “Instead of fulfilling my dream of doing to law school after graduation, overcoming the terror and the trauma that was inflicted on me by these sex traffickers became my decades-long fulltime career.”
Stein encouraged rally-goers to believe the victims of sexual assault.
“This is not a partisan issue. This is a crime,” Stein said. “The criminals must be held accountable.”
--Bart Jansen
House releases some Epstein documents but critics find little new
The House Oversight and Reform Committee released 33,295 pages of documents related to Epstein from the Justice Department on Sept. 2. But lawmakers and other advocates who had been waiting for the records said there was little new.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the committee, said on social media that 97% of the documents had already been released with no mention of any client list. He urged the American public not to be fooled.
“Fact check: nearly everything Republicans just supposedly ‘released’… …has already been released,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts, said on social media. “They are doing everything in their power to muddy the waters. RELEASE. THE. FILES.”
Rep. Mace left meeting with victims in tears
In a reflection of how emotional the debate can be, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, left the Sept. 2 Oversight meeting with Epstein’s victims in tears and said she had a “very difficult time listening to their stories.”
"Full blown panic attack. Sweating. Hyperventilating. Shaking. I can’t breathe," Mace wrote on social media.
Mace has said previously on the House floor that she has been drugged and raped.
What was released among the records?
The materials that were included at least eight videos of apparent police interviews with victims. Several were timestamped from 2005 and 2006.
In one video, a girl whose appearance and name are edited out said Epstein paid her $350 for a massage and sex when she was 17 years old.
"He has the girls take off their clothes and give him a massage," she said in the 17-minute video.
Other records include audio recordings from the criminal investigation of Epstein in Florida, including what appeared to be an interview with a victim whose name and date of birth were edited out.
How is Trump involved?
One of the most tantalizing prospects from the Epstein documents is that they might contain a list of wealthy and powerful people who might have helped him avoid criminal charges for decades.
Trump was photographed occasionally with Epstein during the 1990s and rode on his private plane. But Trump has denied visiting Epstein’s private island, where much of the abuse was reported to have occurred, and denied wrongdoing.
Ghislaine Maxwell met for two days in July with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to answer questions about Epstein. She said Trump wasn't involved in abusing girls. She continues to appeal her conviction.
"I never, ever saw any man doing something inappropriate with a woman of any age,” Maxwell said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the department has already released all the records that it can about the case and there is no client list. She explained at a July Cabinet meeting where Trump lashed out against questions about Epstein that the remainder of records include pornographic videos she said she would never release and names of victims that shouldn’t be revealed.
A federal judge denied Bondi's request to release grand jury transcripts from the investigation.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘No leniency, no deals.' Epstein victims speak as pressure grows to release files: live
Reporting by Bart Jansen and Josh Meyer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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