On a humid Wednesday morning outside the U.S. Capitol, the air was thick with emotion and urgency as survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse stood shoulder to shoulder with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Their demand was clear: full transparency and accountability from the federal government regarding the long-shrouded Epstein files. The event, which unfolded on September 3, 2025, marked a dramatic escalation in the ongoing battle over the release of investigative records tied to one of the most notorious sex trafficking scandals in recent American history.
With the U.S. Capitol as a backdrop, survivors like Anouska De Georgiou and Marina Lacerda bravely recounted the pain and trauma they endured as teenagers at the hands of Epstein and Maxwell. De Georgiou, her voice unwavering despite the gravity of her words, declared, “To be clear, the only motive for opposing this bill would be to conceal wrongdoing. You have a choice. Stand with the truth or with the lies that have protected predators for decades.” According to NPR, she was joined by Lacerda, who told the crowd, “They have documents with my name on them that were confiscated from Jeffrey Epstein’s house and could help me put the pieces of my own life back together.”
The survivors’ stories were not just personal pleas—they were a rallying cry for action. “Our demands are clear,” said Sky Roberts, whose late sister Virginia Giuffre became one of the most outspoken voices for justice. “Ghislaine Maxwell must remain in a maximum security prison for the rest of her life. No leniency. No deals. No special treatment.” As reported by NewsNation, Roberts and others insisted that every file related to Epstein’s investigation be made public and that all complicit parties be held to account.
Leading the charge in Congress are two Kentucky Republicans whose approaches have set them at odds: Representatives Thomas Massie and James Comer. Massie, already a thorn in former President Donald Trump’s side, has filed a discharge petition—a rarely used legislative tool that would force a House vote to mandate the Department of Justice release the Epstein files in full. “There are real victims to this criminal enterprise, and the perpetrators are being protected because they’re rich and powerful and political donors to the establishment here in Washington, D.C. So today, we’re standing with these survivors,” Massie declared at the press conference, according to the Kentucky Lantern.
Massie’s petition needs 218 signatures to succeed. As of September 3, only four Republicans—including Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia—had signed on, two short of the minimum needed if all Democrats join. Massie’s effort has won the backing of other high-profile Republicans, such as Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace, as well as Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California, who appeared alongside Massie and the survivors. “A nation that allows rich and powerful men to traffic and abuse young girls without consequence is a nation that has lost its moral and spiritual core,” Khanna said, his words echoing across the Capitol steps.
Yet the push for transparency has run into stiff resistance from House Republican leaders and President Trump himself. Instead of a forced vote, GOP leadership favors an investigation by the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Kentucky’s James Comer. Comer’s committee released more than 33,000 pages of documents related to Epstein’s case this week, but critics from both parties, including Massie and Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, argue that “97% of the documents” had already been made public, with many pages heavily redacted. “They’re allowing the DOJ to curate all of the information that the DOJ is giving them. If you’ve looked at the pages they’ve released so far, they’re heavily redacted. Some pages are entirely redacted,” Massie told reporters, as quoted by NPR.
Comer, for his part, insists the committee’s work is vital. “The Committee is working at an unprecedented pace and doing the work as it is supposed to be done,” he told the House Rules Committee. “What we heard today is that these survivors support these efforts and support transparency and accountability—goals we all share.” Still, Massie and his allies remain skeptical, arguing that only a full, unfiltered release of the files will satisfy the public’s demand for truth.
The debate has exposed rare divisions within the Republican Party, especially between Trump loyalists and those pushing for greater openness. President Trump, who previously stoked speculation about Epstein’s 2019 jailhouse death—ruled a suicide—and promised to declassify the files if reelected, now dismisses the calls for transparency as “a Democrat hoax that never ends.” Speaking to reporters from the White House, Trump said, “It reminds me a little of the (John F.) Kennedy situation. We gave them everything over and over and over again … and nobody’s ever satisfied.” As CBS News and NewsNation reported, Trump’s comments have only deepened the rift, with some of his staunchest supporters, including Rep. Greene, expressing frustration at the party’s infighting. “It’s grieved me to watch the arguments and debates take place among my colleagues and even the administration,” Greene said at the Capitol rally. “I think this is something that is worth fighting for.”
Beyond Capitol Hill, the political fallout is already being felt in Kentucky. A pro-Trump super PAC is running ads against Massie ahead of the 2026 primary, in line with Trump’s vow to unseat him. Lexington businessman Nate Morris, a vocal Trump supporter and potential Senate candidate, dismissed the Epstein file debate as a distraction. “We’ve got a finite amount of time. We don’t need distractions. We don’t need people deviating from the president’s agenda,” Morris said at a recent town hall, as reported by the Kentucky Lantern. State Senator Aaron Reed, another rumored congressional hopeful, told reporters at the Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast that he’s “happy being a senator right now,” but didn’t rule out a future run for Congress if “God’s will” points him that way.
Amid the political jockeying, survivors and their advocates remain focused on the central issue: government accountability. Attorney Brittany Henderson, representing several accusers, urged that any released documents be redacted to protect the identities of victims who wish to remain anonymous. “The pursuit of the files’ release is a nonpartisan issue,” she emphasized, echoing the bipartisan nature of the discharge petition effort.
As the survivors and lawmakers stood united outside the Capitol, their message was unmistakable. “Today, as you can see, we’re united in restoring trust in government. We’re here not as partisans, we’re here as patriots,” Rep. Khanna said. The fight for full disclosure of the Epstein files has become more than a search for answers—it’s a test of the nation’s willingness to confront power, demand justice, and stand with those whose voices have too often been ignored.
