In the blazing September sun outside the U.S. Capitol, a dozen women stood shoulder to shoulder, butterfly pins glinting on their lapels. These were not ordinary protesters—they were survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, and on September 3, 2025, they gathered to demand that Congress finally pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Their message was stark: stop protecting the powerful, stop dragging out investigations, and release every last government file related to Epstein’s criminal network, no matter how embarrassing the fallout may be.
Their united front comes as the bipartisan push to force the release of the Epstein files reaches a fever pitch in Washington. Democratic Representative Ro Khanna and Republican Representative Thomas Massie, authors of the Transparency Act, have been leading a rare cross-party charge. Speaking on ABC News’ “This Week” just days later, Massie declared, “We can’t avoid justice just to avoid embarrassment for some very powerful men.” His words echoed the survivors’ frustration with a system they feel has shielded the elite for decades.
Massie’s point was clear: appearing in the files isn’t, on its own, proof of guilt. Yet, he insisted, “those who might be in the Jeffrey Epstein files need to be held accountable regardless of their social status.” According to ABC News, Massie went further, suggesting that resistance to releasing the files may stem from fears among billionaire donors with political ties, and even hinted at possible intelligence community involvement. “There are probably intelligence ties to our CIA and maybe to other foreign intelligence,” he said, though without providing specific evidence.
Khanna, for his part, was brimming with optimism. “We have the 218 votes, 216 already support it. There are two vacancies that haven’t been reported as much, but two Democrats are going to be joining and they are both committed to signing it. That’s going to happen by the end of September,” he told ABC News. If he’s right, the discharge petition—an unusual legislative maneuver—would force the Justice Department to hand over all records related to Epstein, circumventing the usual committee process. This, Khanna argued, is about “standing with survivors” and “protecting children.” He praised the courage of Republicans like Massie, Nancy Mace, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert, all of whom have bucked party leadership to support the cause.
Yet, not everyone in the GOP is on board. President Donald Trump, whose name reportedly appears several times in the files (though he is not implicated in Epstein’s crimes), has called the push for more information a “Democrat hoax that never ends.” On September 5, Trump insisted that the Justice Department has already given Congress “everything requested of them,” and both he and House Speaker Mike Johnson have dismissed the transparency campaign as politicized overreach. The White House has gone so far as to warn that any Republican signing the discharge petition would be committing “a very hostile act.”
Survivors and their advocates are unmoved by these warnings. For them, the stakes are deeply personal. At the Capitol news conference, Anouska De Georgiou—once a promising model in London, now an outspoken survivor—declared, “The days of sweeping this under the rug are over. Make no mistake: My polished exterior is a shield hiding a wound that still bleeds. I am no longer weak, no longer powerless. I am no longer alone.”
Marina Lacerda, known as Victim No. 1 in Epstein’s 2019 indictment, spoke publicly for the first time. She recounted years of abuse and exploitation, revealing, “There are people out there who know more about my abuse than I do. The documents could help me put the pieces of my life back together.” Her words underscored the survivors’ belief that the files are not just a matter of public interest—they are a missing puzzle piece in their own stories.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, as outlined by the Los Angeles Times, would require the Justice Department, FBI, Treasury Department, and national security agencies to unseal and release all information they have on Epstein, “regardless of who might suffer embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.” The Act’s authors acknowledge that prosecutions could follow; for many survivors, that’s the point. They want accountability, not just for Epstein and his infamous associate Ghislaine Maxwell, but for anyone who aided, abetted, or benefited from his crimes.
For some, the pace of progress has been agonizingly slow. Survivors criticized the House Oversight Committee for touting the release of thousands of documents, the vast majority of which are already public. “The current approach of incremental releases and heavily redacted documents fails to provide the comprehensive transparency that survivors deserve,” wrote the Los Angeles Times. Lisa Phillips, host of the podcast “From Now On,” warned that if Congress continues to stall, survivors are prepared to take matters into their own hands. “Us Epstein survivors have been discussing creating our own list. Stay tuned for more details.”
Haley Robson, recruited into Epstein’s web at age 16, described the pain of hearing Trump dismiss the scandal as a hoax. “It’s like being gutted from the inside out,” she told reporters. A registered Republican, she pleaded, “Humanize us. There is no hoax.” Her voice joined others in calling for the issue to rise above partisanship. Khanna echoed that sentiment, telling the Los Angeles Times, “This is about restoring trust in our government. This should be beyond politics. It’s a moral issue, and the survivors actually are the first people I see who are bringing this country together.”
Yet, the political divisions remain stark. Trump’s defenders argue that the push for transparency is a partisan effort by the “radical left” to keep divisive issues alive. Some Republican leaders worry about the precedent set by bypassing normal committee procedures, insisting that the nearly 33,000 pages already released demonstrate a commitment to transparency—albeit on their terms. Meanwhile, Khanna and Massie’s discharge petition is viewed by some as an inappropriate end-run around established legislative processes.
Still, the survivors’ movement has forced unlikely alliances. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace—all known for their staunch support of Trump—have broken ranks to back the petition. Mace, herself a survivor of sexual abuse, emerged from a closed-door session with survivors in tears. “They are standing with survivors. We have the votes. Let’s get a vote this month and get their files released,” Khanna insisted on ABC News.
As the end of September approaches, all eyes are on the House. Survivors, advocates, and a growing bipartisan coalition are pressing for a reckoning. The message from those who have waited decades for justice is unmistakable: “We know who was involved. We know the players, and we are sitting here for 20 years waiting for you to get up and do something. Well, guess what? Your time is up and now we’re doing it.”
With the nation watching, the outcome of the Epstein Files Transparency Act may well set a precedent for how America confronts the misdeeds of the powerful—and whether survivors’ voices can finally bring the truth to light.
