Survivors Rally for Transparency Ahead of Crucial Vote
A group of survivors who suffered abuse at the hands of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein gathered outside the US Capitol in Washington DC on Tuesday, 18th November 2025, making an impassioned plea for justice and the full disclosure of secret government files. The emotional demonstration came just hours before a scheduled vote in the House of Representatives on a bill that would compel the release of the Department of Justice's extensive records related to the Epstein case.
A Bipartisan Push for Disclosure
The survivors were joined by a rare coalition of lawmakers from both major parties, including Republican representatives Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, alongside Democratic representative Ro Khanna. The bipartisan group has been leading the charge to force a vote on the disclosure bill, which had gained sufficient support to be expected to pass the House later that day.
One survivor, Haley Robson, addressed the crowd, stating, "It's time that we put the political agendas and party affiliations to the side. This is a human issue, this is about children. There is no place in society for exploitation sexual crimes or exploitation of women in society."
Wendy Avis, who said she met Epstein when she was just 14, voiced the exhaustion felt by many survivors: "We are exhausted from surviving the trauma and then surviving the politics that swirl around it. I am asking Congress, please pass the bill, please release the records, stop making survivors fight alone for the truth."
Trump's Surprising Reversal and Political Tensions
The vote proceeded after a significant political shift over the weekend. Donald Trump, who had reportedly spent months resisting the release of the files and urging Republicans to dismiss the effort, reversed his position on Sunday and called on Republican lawmakers to back the bill.
In a Tuesday morning interview, Representative Ro Khanna expressed his surprise at the reversal, noting that the president "was fighting Thomas Massie and me for five months" on the issue.
The political drama was further highlighted by comments from Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime Trump ally who recently clashed with him. She revealed, "I've never owed him anything, but I fought for him... and he called me a 'traitor' for standing with these women and refusing to take my name off the discharge petition." Despite this, she praised the survivors for "banding together and never giving up."
Survivors did not shy away from addressing the former president directly. Haley Robson expressed skepticism, stating, "While I do understand that your position has changed on the Epstein files, and I'm grateful that you have pledged to sign this bill, I can't help but be skeptical of what the agenda is... I am traumatized. I am not stupid."
Another survivor, Jena-Lisa Jones, was more direct, saying, "I beg you, President Trump, please stop making this political, it is not about you. I voted for you, but your behavior on this issue has been a national embarrassment." She urged him to support the release to understand "who Epstein's friends were, who covered for him, what financial institutions allowed his trafficking to continue."
The Road Ahead and Demands for Accountability
Speaking at the conference, Representative Khanna called the Epstein scandal "one of the most horrific and disgusting corruption scandals in our country's history," crediting the survivors' courage for ensuring "the truth is finally going to come out."
Representative Massie issued a stark warning to the Senate, where the bill would head if passed by the House. He urged them to "not muck it up," adding, "If you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people and you are not part of this effort."
The pressure for full transparency has intensified in recent months. Last week, the House oversight committee released over 20,000 documents from Epstein's estate, including an email where Epstein alleged that Trump "knew about the girls." This has reignited scrutiny over Trump's past associations with the disgraced financier. Trump has consistently denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein's crimes.
The vote in the House marks a pivotal moment in the long-running effort to achieve accountability and closure for the survivors of one of the most notorious sex trafficking cases in modern history.
