Standing in front of the U.S. Capitol, a group of eight survivors shared emotional stories of abuse and demanded more transparency from Congress on the government’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Women who say they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein stood with a bipartisan group of House members on Wednesday, demanding additional transparency into the federal investigation of the convicted sex offender and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
In an emotional press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, the Epstein survivors voiced support for an effort led by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., to force a House vote that would require the Justice Department to release its records in full, with redactions to protect information about victims and ongoing investigations.
« To be clear, the only motive for opposing this bill would be to conceal wrongdoing », said one of the survivors, Anouska De Georgiou. « You have a choice. Stand with the truth or with the lies that have protected predators for decades. »
De Georgiou has said she was abused by Epstein when she was just a teenager. She was one of eight survivors who spoke Wednesday, sharing painful memories of abuse they suffered, and the emotional scars it left them with.
Another woman, Marina Lacerda, said she was speaking publicly for the first time. She said she was 14 when she first met Epstein.
« 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 », she said.
« Today, as you can see, we’re united in restoring trust in government. We’re here not as partisans, we’re here as patriots », Khanna said, standing alongside the survivors.
