Epstein accusers urge lawmakers to put aside partisanship in vote on release of files

Washington- More than a dozen Jeffrey Epstein accusers have stood with Democratic and Republican lawmakers and pressed Congress to look beyond politics, with the The House is expected to vote on Tuesday on a bill to release remaining government records related to the investigation of his crimes.

“This is one of the most horrific and disgusting corruption scandals in the history of our country,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat. sponsored the bill. “Thanks to the survivors who spoke out, thanks to their courage, the truth will finally come out.”

At a news conference outside the Capitol, accusers called for transparency and argued that releasing the files should transcend politics.

Haley Robson said: “It’s time to put political agendas and partisan affiliations aside. » “This is not a matter of a few corrupt Democrats or a few corrupt Republicans, this is a case of institutional betrayal,” Annie Farmer said. And Liz Stein said “the Epstein files are not about loyalty to any particular political party. They are evidence of a crime.”

“In a divided nation, this is a demand we all share,” said Lisa Phillips.

The House vote, expected Tuesday afternoon, comes after four Republicans joined all Democrats in signing a petition to force a vote on the issue, bypassing GOP leadership in the House. Although President Trump initially expressed opposition to releasing the files and lashed out at Republicans who argued in favor of releasing the files, he changed his mind on Sunday when it became clear that the bill would pass. He urged House Republicans to vote to release the Epstein files “because we have nothing to hide.”

Another Epstein accuser, Jena-Lisa Jones, spoke of the emotionally “painful” back-and-forth by the administration regarding the release of the files. She called on the president, for whom she said she voted, to “show real leadership,” adding that his “behavior on this issue has been a national embarrassment.”

“I beg you, President Trump, stop making this a political thing,” Jones said. “This isn’t about you, President Trump. You are our president. Please start acting like one.”

Interest in the files has grown since July, when the Justice Department released the findings of an internal review that found no “client lists” or evidence that Epstein had blackmailed any public figures. Since then, there have been numerous calls for greater transparency from the Trump administration.

Khanna highlighted the widespread nature of the allegations made by Epstein’s accusers, saying: “There should be no buildings named after people of this class of Epstein, there should not be scholarships named after them, they should not enjoy the benefits of being affiliated with companies or universities, writing opinion pieces or being lionized.” » He added that “many survivors will tell you, some of these people are still celebrated in our society.”

The California Democrat said the accusers “are the ones who made this situation possible,” adding that for decades, “we haven’t done enough on this issue.”

Khanna also praised Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greenea Republican from Georgia, who he said suffered “extraordinary political consequences” for his work on this issue.

Massie thanked the women, saying they “gave hope to everyone in this country.”

“There are survivors of other sex crimes in this country who are wondering if they should come forward,” Massie said. “These survivors came forward, taking the same risk, fearing that they themselves would be defamed – they were defamed for coming forward – but we are going to get justice for them. It’s going to happen today at the People’s House.”

Greene praised the women for coming forward, saying, “These women have fought the most horrible fight that no woman should have to fight.” She said they did it by fighting together “against the most powerful people in the world, even the president of the United States, to make this vote happen today.”

Georgia Republican says she was ‘treated’ by Mr. Trump in recent days in a public dispute that appears to stem from the Epstein files.

“I never owed him anything, but I fought for him, for politics and for America first – and he called me a traitor for supporting these women and refusing to remove my name from the release petition,” she said.

“Let me tell you what a traitor is: A traitor is an American who serves foreign countries and himself.” Greene said.

“Today you are likely to see a unanimous vote in the House to release the Epstein files,” Greene said. “But the real fight will happen after that.”

The “real test” will be whether the DOJ releases the records or whether they remain “stuck in investigations,” Greene said. She and Massie raised the possibility that if the Justice Department opened investigations into Epstein’s relationships with prominent Democrats, as Mr. Trump has suggested, they could be used to block the release of the records.

Massie said that while “they may try to protect certain people or certain businesses, eventually these investigations will come to an end.” He added: “They can’t open enough investigations to cover up everything that’s in these files.”

But if the bill passes the House, it will then go to the Senate for approval, where Republican leaders have not said whether they will put it up for a vote. Massie appealed to the upper chamber in his remarks, asking the Senate not to derail the effort.

“If you do anything that prevents disclosure, you are not for the people and you are not part of this effort,” Massie said. “Don’t ruin this in the Senate.”