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Jeffrey Epstein survivors rallied in front of Congress on Wednesday, detailing their experiences of abuse and calling for the release of all Epstein files. "We cannot heal without justice," says one Epstein survivor, Chauntae Davies. "We cannot protect the future if we refuse to confront the past." Survivors also announced that some victims would work to confidentially compile their own list of individuals implicated in Epstein's crimes. This comes as lawmakers seek to force a House floor vote compelling the Justice Department to release all the files from the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Lauren Hersh, the national director of the anti-trafficking organization World Without Exploitation, is a former sex-trafficking prosecutor in New York who joined survivors for their press conference just steps from the Capitol on Wednesday. "Courage is contagious," says Hersh, adding that "we were approached by several other Epstein survivors who we didn't even know."
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Trump is expected to sign an executive order Friday, though it is unclear if he can permanently change the agency's title without legislation from Congress.
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As Congress returned to Washington Tuesday, the controversy over files related to convicted serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has picked back up, with bipartisan pressure to make files related to the federal investigation into Epstein public. Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna of California has co-authored a bipartisan measure that could compel the Justice Department to release the files. The measure was filed by Congressmember Thomas Massie, a conservative who has clashed with President Trump, and lawmakers will begin collecting signatures for their Epstein resolution starting Tuesday. "We need 218 signatures," says Khanna. "We have 216. We have to get two more Republicans on the bill, and we're in talks with at least 10 who are strongly considering it."
Khanna also discusses attempts by congressmembers to recognize a Palestinian state and enact an arms embargo on Israel. Military support for Israel is "a moral stain on the United States because of our complicity," says Khanna.
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The Justice Department's inspector general disclosed new details about the extent of misconduct by a top F.B.I. counterintelligence official, Charles McGonigal.
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The chairman of the House Oversight Committee said the department would miss a Tuesday deadline his panel set in a subpoena but would begin sharing some records on Friday.
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