Women who say they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein stood with a bipartisan group of House members on Wednesday, demanding additional transparency into the federal investigation of the convicted sex offender and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
In an emotional press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, the Epstein survivors voiced support for an effort led by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., to force a House vote that would require the Justice Department to release its records in full, with redactions to protect information about victims and ongoing investigations.
"To be clear, the only motive for opposing this bill would be to conceal wrongdoing," said one of the survivors, Anouska De Georgiou. "You have a choice. Stand with the truth or with the lies that have protected predators for decades."
De Georgiou has said she was abused by Epstein when she was just a teenager. She was one of eight survivors who spoke Wednesday, sharing painful memories of abuse they suffered, and the emotional scars it left them with.
Another woman, Marina Lacerda, said she was speaking publicly for the first time. She said she was 14 when she first met Epstein.
"They have documents with my name on them that were confiscated from Jeffrey Epstein's house and could help me put the pieces of my own life back together," she said.
"Today, as you can see, we're united in restoring trust in government. We're here not as partisans, we're here as patriots," Khanna said, standing alongside the survivors. "We begin the work of bringing this country together: progressives, independents, moderates, and, yes, MAGA supporters to demand truth and justice."
The survivors spoke as lawmakers in Congress are confronting how much information from the government's investigation into Epstein should be made public. The House Oversight Committee has already subpoenaed the Justice Department for records related to the investigation, and on Tuesday released an initial tranche of more than 30,000 documents.
But the panel's work has drawn criticism from Democrats — as well as some Republicans, including Massie — who've expressed concern that any information shared by the committee wouldn't be extensive enough.
"They're allowing the DOJ to curate all of the information that the DOJ is giving them. If you've looked at the pages they've released so far, they're heavily redacted. Some pages are entirely redacted, and 97% of this is already in the public domain," Massie argued, while urging additional Republicans to support his effort.
To get their plan passed, Massie and Khanna have turned to a rarely used legislative maneuver known as a discharge petition. The tool allows any member to force a vote, but they first have to gather 218 signatures from the House.
Three Republicans have already signed onto the petition: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace. If every House Democrat joins in, Massie and Khanna would need just two more Republican signatures.
In remarks, Greene, long known as a staunch Trump ally and conservative firebrand, expressed frustration over how the issue has divided factions of the GOP in recent months.
"It's grieved me to watch the arguments and debates take place among my colleagues and even the administration," she said. "I think this is something that is worth fighting for."
The Epstein issue has caused a rare split between President Trump and many of his most loyal supporters. On the campaign trail, Trump called for the release of more files, but the administration has faced blowback in recent weeks, stemming from a DOJ memo issued in July saying there was no evidence Epstein had possessed an alleged "client list."
Democrats have sought to spotlight Trump's past friendship with Epstein — though Trump has repeatedly said their relationship ended before Epstein was indicted for soliciting prostitution in 2006.
That relationship was highlighted during the press conference by Epstein survivor, Chauntae Davies, who said that Epstein surrounded himself "with the most powerful leaders of our country and the world."
"The truth is, Epstein had a free pass. He bragged about his powerful friends, including our current president, Donald Trump. It was his biggest brag, actually," she said.
Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump sought to sidestep a question about the survivors, describing the Epstein issue as a "Democrat hoax that never ends."
Throughout the press conference, multiple survivors also called on the president to take action. Asked about his remark earlier that morning, Epstein survivor, Haley Robsen, urged the president to "humanize" the survivors and their stories.
"Mr. President, Donald J. Trump, I am a registered Republican – not that that matters because this is not political – however, I cordially invite you to the Capitol to meet me in person so you can understand this is not a hoax," she said. "We are real human beings. This is real trauma."
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