NBC Asks Epstein Survivors for ‘Dirt’ on Trump — It Backfires Spectacularly
Six women who say they were trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein or his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell made a powerful public appeal Tuesday in Washington, D.C., demanding that the federal government release more investigative files. They also urged former President Donald Trump to explicitly rule out the possibility of granting Maxwell a pardon.
The women stood alongside family members of Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, who died by suicide in April. Together, they denounced what they described as a long-standing pattern of institutional failure that has denied survivors both justice and transparency. Their presence in the nation’s capital underscored not only their personal struggles but also their determination to keep the pressure on Congress and federal agencies.
Testimonies of Pain and Betrayal
Jess Michaels, who alleges Epstein raped her in 1991, described him as a “master manipulator” who used calculated tactics to trap vulnerable young women and teenage girls. “It was a severe miscarriage of justice,” she said, pointing to decades of delays in accountability. Her remarks resonated with other survivors, who shared eerily similar stories of grooming, exploitation, and silence from those who should have intervened.
Wendy Avis and Jena-Lisa Jones, both of whom say they were only 14 when Epstein abused them, focused on the complicity of adults who looked the other way. “Many people around Epstein very clearly knew what was going on,” Jones said, her voice breaking, “but they refused to speak up.” Avis, speaking publicly for the first time, called for broader recognition of victims who have remained in the shadows. “We’re everyday people,” she said, “and we still haven’t received justice.”
Other survivors, including Marijke Chartouni, Lisa Phillips, and Liz Stein, expressed mounting frustration with the Justice Department. Stein accused federal officials of withholding information and failing to protect survivors. She voiced support for bipartisan congressional efforts to force transparency, insisting that the time for excuses had long passed.
A Legislative Push for Answers
The women’s statements came just before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee released more than 33,000 pages of Epstein-related documents. The cache has renewed public debate about how the federal government handled investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, and whether powerful connections shielded them for years.
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) are leading a legislative push to investigate alleged mishandling of federal probes. The rare bipartisan effort highlights how Epstein’s case has become not only a symbol of systemic abuse but also of institutional secrecy. Lawmakers argue that public trust depends on full disclosure, particularly when survivors continue to raise alarms about cover-ups and negligence.
A Warning from Survivors
Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and related crimes, continues to deny wrongdoing. But for survivors, her conviction represents only a fraction of the justice they seek. Lisa Phillips delivered a stark warning: if institutions continue to fail them, survivors will seek their own path forward. “We’ll compile our own list,” she said, suggesting that victims may pursue independent efforts to document enablers and demand accountability.
For the women who spoke in Washington, the fight is about more than their personal stories. It is about challenging a system that they believe has repeatedly prioritized secrecy and powerful interests over the safety and dignity of vulnerable girls. As they left the podium, their message was clear: silence and delay are no longer acceptable.
