On September 4, 2025, the grounds of Capitol Hill buzzed with the voices of survivors, lawmakers, and protesters demanding the unthinkable: full transparency on one of the most notorious scandals in recent American history. Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse—many of whom had never spoken publicly before—stood before cameras and lawmakers, recounting harrowing stories of manipulation, coercion, and the decades-long struggle for justice. Their message was clear: release the complete, unclassified records tied to Epstein and his powerful circle of enablers.
But as the survivors’ pleas echoed across the Capitol, the machinery of Washington politics ground into motion. According to Arizona Mirror, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) emerged as the faces of a bipartisan push to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release the long-sought-after “Epstein files.” Their proposed legislation, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, would compel the release of all unclassified DOJ, FBI, and related agency records—so long as personal identifying information for victims was properly redacted. Supporters argue this is the bare minimum in a country that claims to value the rule of law and the protection of children.
Yet, the political stakes are anything but minimal. As reported by multiple outlets, President Donald Trump, whose name appears in some of the files, swiftly dismissed the transparency effort as a “Democrat hoax that never ends,” during an Oval Office meeting with Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki. “What they’re trying to do with the Epstein hoax is getting people to talk about that instead of speaking about the tremendous success like ending seven wars. I ended seven wars, nobody’s going to talk about (that) because they’re going to talk about the Epstein whatever,” Trump said, according to Arizona Mirror. He insisted that his administration had already complied with subpoenas and released thousands of pages, though critics say these were mostly duplicates or heavily redacted documents.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, at Trump’s urging, has resisted bringing the transparency bill to a vote. In July, Johnson sent the House home early, hoping the issue would fade. Instead, the movement only grew. According to Arizona Mirror, Johnson told colleagues that the ongoing Oversight Committee investigation was sufficient, calling Massie and Khanna’s discharge petition “moot and unnecessary.” But for survivors and their advocates, committee probes and partial document dumps are far from enough.
Survivors’ testimonies at the Capitol were both emotional and damning. Annie Farmer, who was 16 when she and her sister were flown to New Mexico to meet Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, described being assaulted and photographed. “I am now 46 years old. Thirty years later, we still do not know why that report wasn’t properly investigated, or why Epstein and his associates were allowed to harm hundreds, if not thousands, of other girls and young women,” Farmer testified. She called for a thorough public review of the government’s findings, arguing, “At a time with record-high levels of distrust in our institutions and a perception that there are two Americas—one for those with power and privilege and one for everyone else—passing this Epstein transparency bill is one important step that can be taken to prove to Americans that the government does not side with sexual perpetrators.”
Jena-Lisa Jones shared her story of being abused by Epstein from the age of 14. “I know that I was just a little kid, but sometimes I still feel like it is my fault that this happened,” she said to the crowd. Her appeal was direct: “If you’re a member of Congress and you’re listening to all of us speak here today, please really listen to us. Please vote for this bill to be passed. Please recognize how important it is for transparency relating to Jeffrey Epstein. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, this does not matter.” Jones then turned her plea to the president: “Please, President Trump, pass this bill and help us. Make us feel like our voices are finally being heard.”
As the survivors spoke, lawmakers lined up behind the discharge petition—a procedural maneuver to force a floor vote if House leadership refuses to act. Massie, Khanna, and GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have led the charge, with Reps. Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace also signing on. All House Democrats are expected to support the petition, which needs just two more Republican signatures to reach the necessary threshold. “This is the most important fight we can wage here in Congress, fighting for innocent people that never received justice, and the women behind me have never received justice,” Greene declared. “And do you want to know why? It’s because Jeffrey Epstein somehow was able to walk among the most rich, powerful people.”
Yet, the pressure campaign against transparency has been fierce. Massie revealed on CNN that he and his colleagues have faced “an immense pressure campaign from the White House on Republican members right now.” He detailed $2.5 million in attack ads funded by three billionaire Republican donors—one of whom, Massie alleged, appears in Epstein’s infamous black book. “I think what’s being run against me is a threat to other Republicans to try to keep them from doing what I’m doing,” Massie said, but he remains undeterred. “So in some sense, I have the Trump antibodies, but I’m definitely going to get a booster shot here.”
Despite the obstacles, Massie expressed confidence that he and Khanna would ultimately secure the 218 votes needed to force a floor vote. He even vowed to use his congressional immunity to publicly read a list of Epstein’s clients compiled by victims, should the files remain hidden. “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 said during an outdoor press conference, as reported by Arizona Mirror.
Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee attempted to placate critics by releasing 33,000 pages of documents related to the government’s Epstein investigation. But as Arizona Mirror and other outlets noted, much of this material was already public or so heavily redacted as to be useless. “If you’ve looked at the pages they’ve released so far, they’re heavily redacted. Some pages are entirely redacted, and 97% of this is already in the public domain,” Massie said. The committee has also issued subpoenas to figures from both parties, including Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and former DOJ officials, but many see this as another stalling tactic.
For survivors and their advocates, anything short of a full, unclassified release of the Epstein files is unacceptable. As one editorial in Arizona Mirror put it, “Survivors asked for sunlight, not a scavenger hunt. Schedule the vote. Release the files. And to the caucus hiding behind process: enough.” The coming days may finally reveal whether Congress will heed that call—or whether the machinery of Washington will keep running interference for the powerful, yet again.
