Jeffrey Epstein's victims are pleading with Congress to release Epstein's files.
In a disturbing letter, family members of deceased abuse victim Virginia Giuffre, as well as several victims who accused Donald Trump of being part of Epstein's child sex trafficking ring, asked lawmakers to “be bold” in the coming days as they vote on potentially releasing the case.
“There is no middle ground here. You cannot hide behind your party affiliation,” they said in letter addressed jointly to members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“Epstein and [Ghislaine] Maxwell's crimes exposed the double standard of justice where rich and powerful men and women escape accountability. Despite years of work to bring them to justice, most of Epstein's and Maxwell's associates remain completely free, continuing to amass power and prestige while living without apparent shame.
“As you come together as a family this season, remember that your first duty is to the voters,” the writers continued. “Look your children, sisters, mothers and aunts in the eyes. Imagine if they were hunted. Imagine if you yourself survived. What would you want for them? What would you want for yourself? When you vote, we will remember your decision at the ballot box.”
Pressure on lawmakers increased sharply this week after a motion to vacate office demanding a vote on releasing the files was successful. Shortly before accepting the petition, the House Oversight Committee released on Wednesday more than 20,000 documents it obtained from Epstein's estate, showing that Trump was a frequent topic in correspondence between Epstein and his pen pals.
In a 2011 email, Epstein thanked Trump for keeping quiet about details of his life. “The dog that didn't bark was Trump,” Epstein wrote, even though Trump spent several hours at one of Epstein's homes with a known victim.
In a conversation with former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers in 2017, Epstein said Trump was the worst person he knew.
“I have met some very bad people, but not as bad as Trump,” Epstein wrote. “Not a single decent cell in his body.”
Asked by Trump biographer Michael Wolff in 2019 about the president's knowledge of the kidnappings of young girls, Epstein noted: “Of course he knew about the girls Ghislaine asked him to stop.”
White House immediately shrugged it off messages, and spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt insists the emails prove nothing. Trump, in turn, accused the Democrats of invention the Trump-Epstein connection, repeatedly calling it a “hoax.”
In the halls of Congress, conservative lawmakers are attacking Trump. Senior Republicans privately expect dozens of their party members – “perhaps 100 or more” – to vote for the bill, which would make the federal government's treasure trove of Epstein files public. Politician reported on Wednesday. Several have already announced their intention to support the upcoming bill, including Representatives Eli Crane, Don Bacon and Warren Davidson.
