On Wednesday, survivors of Epstein’s crimes and their families held a rally in front of the U.S. Capitol, as they tried to press Congress to release all the information the government has on the criminal investigation of the dead financier.
A varied group of women each took turns sharing their stories of how Epstein, who died in prison while awaiting trial, groomed them and then sexually abused them.
Most were only between the ages of 14-17 at the time.
For years, government officials have called for the release of Epstein’s rumored “client list,” expecting it to include names of celebrities, world leaders and other dignitaries.
today the victims are prepared to take matters into their own hands – promising to compile and release a list of names on their own.
Lisa Phillips alleged Epstein sexually assaulted her after she first went to his private Caribbean island in the late 1990s when she was 21. She asked any other victims who have remained silent to come forward.
“A lot of us survivors know we’ve been compiling lists of our own, and we have so many other survivors,” Phillips said. “Please come forward, and we’ll compile our own list and seek justice on our own.”
She then called out political leaders, urging them to do more as well.
“Congress must choose. Will you continue to protect predators or will you finally protect survivors?” she said to applause.
“Us Epstein survivors have been discussing creating our own list. We know the names. Many of us were abused by them,” she added. “today together as survivors, we will confidentially compile the names we all know.”
Epstein victim Marina Lacerda called on the federal government to release unredacted files to survivors and protect victims’ identities before releasing the documents to the public.
She also questioned why Epstein was allowed to “go on with the abuse” for as long as he did, noting she would have testified years ago to “help stop him.”
The survivor added: “Our government could have saved so many women, but Jeffrey Epstein was too important and those women didn’t matter.
“Why? Well, we matter today. We are here today, and we are speaking, and we are not going to stop speaking.”
The victims’ public remarks come as survivors shared their stories with members of Congress, and after Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed a bipartisan petition pushing for a vote on the release of the files.
But talking to reporters Wednesday, Donald Trump reiterated his declaration that an Epstein list is merely a “Democrat hoax.” He said “thousands and thousands of documents” had already been released, including another dump overnight, and urged the country to move on.
“No matter what you do, it’s going to keep going,” Trump said. “Really, I think it’s enough.”
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