The shadow cast by Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes has once again fallen over the halls of Congress, reigniting fierce debate and public outcry over transparency, accountability, and the lingering question: Who knew what, and when? On September 3, 2025, a group of Epstein’s victims and their families gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, demanding the full release of government files tied to the late financier’s notorious child sex trafficking operation. Their voices, raw and resolute, pierced the political noise, placing the survivors and their stories front and center in a saga that has long orbited the powerful and the privileged.
This latest push for transparency comes on the heels of the Justice Department’s release of more than 33,000 pages of Epstein-related documents on September 5. But as reported by BBC and USA TODAY, most of the content was already public or of little consequence, leaving the victims, their advocates, and much of the public unsatisfied. The sense of déjà vu was palpable: another document dump, another round of political posturing, and still, the core questions remain unanswered.
In the days leading up to the document release, bipartisan efforts intensified in the House of Representatives. Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Ro Khanna of California resumed their campaign to gather signatures for a discharge petition. Their goal? To force a vote that would require the Department of Justice to make every last shred of Epstein case information public. As USA TODAY noted, the petition needs 218 signatures to succeed—just a handful more than the current count. Massie, standing with the survivors, urged his colleagues to act: “Light up their phones. Burn down the phone lines here in Washington, DC. Ask them the questions that these survivors wanted you to ask them.”
But not everyone on Capitol Hill appears eager for sunlight. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, adjourned the House early in July, a move widely interpreted as an attempt to stall momentum for the petition. After the victims’ press conference, Johnson led the passage of a resolution—backed only by Republicans—calling for continued investigation into Epstein’s crimes. Critics, including Massie, dismissed this as “the oldest trick in the swamp,” a placebo bill designed to create the appearance of action while maintaining secrecy. “When you want to kill the momentum, when you want to kill initiative, you introduce a placebo, a different bill that does nothing, and then try to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people,” Massie said, according to USA TODAY.
For the survivors, the stakes are deeply personal. Jena-Lisa Jones, who said she was just 14 when she was brought to Epstein’s mansion in West Palm Beach in 2003, waited 16 years before publicly sharing her story in 2019—the year Epstein died in prison awaiting trial. “Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, this does not matter,” Jones declared on the Capitol steps. “This is not about sides.”
Another survivor, Anouska De Georgiou, recounted being a teenage model in London in the 1990s when she was lured into Epstein’s circle and repeatedly raped. “The only motive for opposing this bill would be to conceal wrongdoing,” De Georgiou stated, urging Congress to back the discharge petition. “You have a choice: Stand with the truth, or with the lies that have protected predators for decades.” Annie Farmer, who testified that she was 16 when flown to New Mexico to spend a weekend with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, pointed to the “perception that there are two Americas, one for those with power and privilege, and one for everyone else.” She insisted, “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.”
The political ramifications are impossible to ignore, especially for former President Donald Trump. Trump, who was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, has never been accused of wrongdoing by investigators. Nonetheless, his administration’s handling of the case has drawn fierce criticism. The White House recently denied a Wall Street Journal report that Trump was informed in May by his attorney general that his name appeared in Epstein-related files. Trump has repeatedly dismissed the controversy as a “hoax” concocted by political enemies, but as BBC observed, that strategy is wearing thin in the face of mounting pressure.
Adding to the intrigue, Trump ran for reelection in 2024 on a promise to release the Epstein files and filled his second administration with figures who championed that cause. Yet, according to USA TODAY, Trump officials have been quietly warning House members that supporting the Massie-Khanna petition would be viewed as a “hostile act.” The contradiction is glaring: a public posture of transparency, coupled with backroom efforts to keep the files under wraps.
Majorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congresswoman and typically a Trump ally, made waves by declaring her willingness to name names. “I’m not afraid to name names,” Greene said. “And so if they want to give me a list, I will walk in that Capitol on the House floor and I’ll say every damn name that abused these women.” Her statement, reported by BBC, signaled the growing impatience and anger among some members of Congress.
Despite the flurry of activity, there remains the possibility that the controversy will ultimately fizzle. As BBC pointed out, unless new, politically damaging information emerges from the files, the story might remain a distraction rather than a disruption—a drag on public approval for Republicans as they prepare for closely contested midterm elections, but not the kind of crisis that fundamentally alters the political landscape. Trump himself, drawing a parallel to the endless speculation around the JFK assassination and Obama’s birth certificate, remarked, “You know it reminds me a little of the Kennedy situation. We gave them everything over and over again, more and more and more and nobody is satisfied.”
Still, the victims and their advocates are determined not to let the issue fade into obscurity. They have called on the public to contact their representatives and demand the release of the Epstein files. As USA TODAY columnist Chris Brennan wrote, “Give your representative a call, and a piece of your mind about being transparent with the Epstein files.”
Whether the coming weeks bring a breakthrough in transparency or yet another cycle of obfuscation and frustration, the Epstein scandal remains a potent reminder of the enduring struggle for justice in the face of power, privilege, and institutional inertia.