Jeremy Moorhead/CNN via CNN Newsource

By MJ Lee, Nicky Robertson

(CNN) — The scrum outside of the Cannon office building early Tuesday morning slowly grew in size, eventually ballooning to several dozen women. Every time someone new arrived, there was an eruption of hugs and cheerful greetings.

The scene could have easily been a joyful reunion of old friends.

But the group was made up of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein , forever bonded by their trauma and abuse at the hands of the convicted pedophile. The women had once again descended on Washington, DC, to hold a press conference and plead with lawmakers to vote to release the Epstein files .

Dani Bensky, who met Epstein when she was a young ballerina, said she had managed to get just a few hours of sleep the previous night. Sh

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