Content warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault/violence and suicide.
On Sept. 3, Haley Robson, one of nearly 300 known victims of Jeffrey Epstein, stood on the steps of Capitol Hill. Appealing directly to President Donald Trump, through ABC News, she told the president, “This is not a hoax. We are real human beings. This is real trauma.”
Robson was joined by Lisa Phillips, Jena-Lisa Jones, Marina Lacerda, Annie Farmer, and Anoushka De Georgiou to speak out on Capitol Hill as part of a bipartisan effort to convince House Leaders to release the Epstein files. Attorneys Brittany Henderson and Brad Edwards have identified at least 300 victims, and suspect that there are many more.
Epstein was first indicted in 2006 on one count of soliciting prostitution. After a two-year-long investigation, Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in a minimum-security facility, according to NPR. He was convicted again in July 2019, on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Just a month after his arrest, Epstein died by suicide. The so-called “Epstein files” refer to the now-sealed documents used by the prosecution to seek a guilty verdict.
In addition to evidence of his criminal behavior, the files are suspected of implicating hundreds of known and unknown associates in sexual and financial crimes. Documents released to Congress ahead of the victims’ press conference are already ringing alarm bells. Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico stated, “This goes all the way to the top,” a comment she made during a press conference after she and other lawmakers met with victims of Epstein.
The victims have been calling for the release of the files and for Epstein and his conspirators, including long-time associate and ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, to be held liable for their criminal abuse for nearly two decades.
Virginia Giuffre, who worked at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, was the first of Epstein’s victims to relinquish her anonymity back in 2011, six years after the investigation into Epstein for his acts toward underage girls began. Giuffre shared with BBC that starting at only 17 years old, Maxwell and Epstein would forcefully set her up for sexual encounters with a man of very high power, Prince Andrew of Britain. Giuffre died by suicide on April 25.
After Giuffre’s death, Trump claimed part of the reason he and Epstein had a “falling out” was because he “stole” Giuffre and other young, female workers from the president’s estate, Mar-a-Lago, according to CNN. In July, the president stated, “I said if he’s taking anybody from Mar-a-Lago, he’s hiring or whatever he’s doing — I didn’t like it — and we threw him out. We said we don’t want him at the place,” CNN reported.
Trump’s wording raised many questions as to whether he knew more about Epstein’s illegal activities than he led on. Giuffre’s family shared with The Atlantic, “It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal actions.”
The stories told by the women on Capitol Hill this last week are eerily similar to those shared by Giuffre and other victims: similar situations, similar traumas, and similar horrific outcomes. The same stories repeat themselves, and still, nothing has been done.
Marina Lacerda, also known as “Minor-victim 1,” was a pivotal figure who provided evidence needed to prosecute Epstein for sex trafficking of minors in 2019. She spoke publicly for the first time on Sept. 3, sharing how, from the age of 14 to 17, she worked for Epstein and would give “massages.” She would go on to endure years of sexual abuse, hoping that one day she’d be offered a “real job.” But this dream never came as she was fired for being “too old” at 17.
Lacerda shared with ABC News that “I ran away from it in 2008, I ran away from it in 2019, but there is nothing in life that stays under the sun. It always comes out to a light.” She also mentioned how she felt immense amounts of guilt for being unable to speak up about her experiences earlier, as she believes this led to more women becoming victims.
It appears as though Lacerda’s guilt and anxieties surrounding the Epstein files are not a secular experience. Jena-Lisa Jones, another Epstein victim, did not speak out until 2019 out of fear of confronting the abuse, claiming, “It was like I was afraid of a ghost,” as reported by CBS News.
Today, these brave women are no longer afraid. In response to Congress’s inaction on releasing the documents, they have created an ultimatum. Either release the files, or the victims release their own list. Survivor Lisa Phillips proudly shared this sentiment on Capitol Hill, stating, “Epstein survivors have been discussing creating our own list of names. We will confidentially compile the names we all know were regularly in the Epstein world, and it will be done by survivors, for survivors,” according to ABC News.
These women speaking out on Capitol Hill sends a clear message to Trump, who has been adamant about how the files are a “hoax,” shortly after a letter from the president to Epstein was found. When reporters questioned the president on the letter, he called it a “dead issue,” NBC reports. Due to his past of having close ties with Epstein, the president’s unwillingness to speak on, release, or take any action related to the files leaves the victims with less than nothing — it leaves them ignored.
According to ABC News, Robson stated, “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.”
Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna have started a discharge petition to persuade the Justice Department to release the Epstein files. After the press conference with the victims on Capitol Hill, Rep. Massie stated, “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.” If all Democratic representatives sign this petition, only one Republican representative would be needed to reach the 218 requirement for a House vote on the files release, according to Politico.
It appears that victims hope that by amplifying the fact that this is not a political issue, but an issue of justice, President Trump and other hesitant lawmakers will feel compelled to hear their stories of abuse and understand that the truth must be released.