[0:00]and a voice of resilience. She stands not only for herself but for the countless
[0:07]others who have been silenced. Please join me in welcoming Liz Stein to the
[0:13]podium. Thank you. Good morning everyone. Welcome. Looking out into this crowd it's
[0:27]so hard to believe that this is all happening. It was born out of
[0:32]frustration sitting around a kitchen table and look at us here today. I'm
[0:39]really blown away with all of this support. There is definitely power in
[0:43]numbers. Today we're here to celebrate the great strength of my survivor
[0:48]sisters who are here in Washington and to all of you who came out today to
[0:53]stand with survivors. My name is Liz Stein. I am a speaker, writer, educator,
[1:05]and activist in the anti-trafficking movement. I am a World Without
[1:10]Exploitation Stand Fellow and I am also a survivor of Ghislaine Maxwell and
[1:16]Jeffrey Epstein. I met Ghislaine when I was a senior in college. I was just
[1:22]21 years old. Maxwell introduced me to Jeffrey Epstein later on that day.
[1:30]That evening was the sliding glass doors moment that changed the trajectory of
[1:36]my entire life. I was once bright, fun, outgoing, and kind. I loved people and
[1:44]people genuinely enjoyed being around me. But after meeting Jeffrey Epstein
[1:51]and Ghislaine Maxwell it felt like someone shut off the lights to my soul.
[1:58]Instead of pursuing my dream of going to law school after graduation,
[2:04]overcoming the terror and the trauma that was inflicted on me by these
[2:09]sex traffickers, overcoming that became my decades-long, full-time
[2:17]career. As survivors we're initiated into a sisterhood. We're in a
[2:27]sorority that none of us asked to join. But we all stand here today strong,
[2:33]stronger together because our collective voice is powerful. We stand together
[2:40]also to honor the beautiful souls who lost their lives in the pursuit of
[2:47]getting justice for Maxwell and Epstein's crimes. This is not a
[2:59]partisan issue. This is a crime. The crime of sex trafficking and the
[3:05]criminals must be held accountable. Disbelieving survivors creates a culture
[3:11]of silence. There is strength in numbers and our courage is contagious. I
[3:17]want to humanize sex trafficking survivors for you all just for one
[3:25]moment. We are not others. We are your sisters, your friends, your colleagues.
[3:33]We are in your community. Think about the women that you love and then
[3:40]think about them being the victim of sexual assault. It's uncomfortable and
[3:47]it's hard to think about. Could you stand for their abuse? I hope not. This
[3:55]is a crime that by our Justice Department's own admission has a
[4:00]thousand victims. A thousand victims. Do you know a thousand people? Think of the
[4:06]enormity of that. Could you be okay with a crime happening in your
[4:12]community to a thousand girls and young women and not holding the
[4:18]perpetrators accountable? I think not. The government's mishandling of this
[4:27]case has silenced our truth from the start. Nevertheless, beginning with
[4:31]Maria Farmer in 1996, the survivors of this crime have been relentless in
[4:37]speaking out and seeking justice, oftentimes at great risk to our own
[4:42]safety and well-being. It is the voices of survivors. I'm going to repeat that
[4:49]because it bears repeating. It is the voices of survivors of these crimes
[4:54]that are important. So we are here together. We are here together to stand
[5:04]united and I want to uplift the words of someone who can't be with us today
[5:12]but who has inspired us all in different ways. So to quote the late
[5:20]Virginia Dufray, mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers need to show that
[5:29]the battle lines are drawn and stand together to fight for the future of
[5:34]victims. Is protesting the answer? I don't know but we've got to start
[5:40]somewhere and we are here today to start somewhere. So if you are
[5:45]watching us from home, if you're in the audience and you believe that you
[5:51]should stand with survivors, show us your support. Hashtag stand with
[5:59]survivors. All right, we're going to just keep moving. I'd now love to
[6:22]welcome to the stage Sigrid McAuley, Annie Farmer, Virginia's incredible
[6:28]family and Teresa Helm. Good morning. We come together in the nation's
[6:55]capital at this watershed moment for survivors. They're demanding justice.
[7:02]They're demanding accountability and they're demanding action. For far too
[7:08]long, Maxwell and Epstein committed crimes throughout our country and our
[7:14]world and it's time to hold those that facilitated those crimes
[7:18]accountable. We've heard a lot of words for many, many, far too many
[7:25]years. It's time finally for action. Earlier this year, many of you know that
[7:33]we lost a dear friend and a client of mine, Virginia Joufray. Her wonderful
[7:38]family is with us here today. I can tell you that she would have loved
[7:43]this moment. It would have been so special for her to see all of you
[7:48]here today and I know she's with us and what she would want you to hear
[7:54]today is stay strong and keep fighting for justice. I'm going to take
[8:05]a moment to read from one of our fellow survivors who, thank you, was
[8:10]too afraid to come here today. Her name is Juliette Bryant and she
[8:14]asked me to read this letter to you all. I wish I could be here
[8:18]today. Unfortunately, I'm too afraid to travel to America after
[8:22]everything that has happened. I am, however, here in spirit, like
[8:27]many other survivors such as Virginia Joufray and Carolyn Adriano. I want
[8:34]to speak out for all victims of abuse, especially those who can no
[8:38]longer speak, those both alive and dead. For years, the truth about
[8:43]Epstein has been covered up. They say there's no Epstein list. Speak to
[8:48]us. It's time to dig deeper, do the financial research. It's clear
[8:54]that for years there has been a big cover up. We have all been
[8:57]lied to. It's especially difficult for victims of Epstein to move
[9:03]on when it's thrown in their face daily through the media without
[9:07]any closure. The public has now become the victims of this as
[9:11]well. We have all been badly hurt by this. It's time for the
[9:16]truth to come out. It's time to stand up for victims of all
[9:20]crimes. It's time for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
[9:25]Thank you for being here and for standing by myself and other
[9:28]victims. Together we will make change. There is strength in
[9:32]numbers and we will do it together. From Julia Bryant. And
[9:41]now I'd like to introduce Annie Farmer.
[9:47]Good morning, everyone. Thank you so much for being here
[9:51]today. Your support means more than you know. My sister Maria
[9:55]Farmer was not able to attend, and so I will read her remarks
[9:58]for her. Due to the debilitating effects of the
[10:02]last few years of cancer treatment, I'm unable to be
[10:05]here today. My sister, Annie Farmer will speak for me. She
[10:09]is a primary reason that I reported Epstein, Maxwell and
[10:13]others to the FBI in 1996 after they assaulted us in
[10:19]two different locations and held me captive at Wexner's
[10:22]estate, while Maxwell also stole photos that were my private
[10:29]art studies and twisted them into child sexual abuse
[10:32]materials, harming my sisters and myself. In 2006, the
[10:40]FBI demanded my testimony for a federal trial, promising
[10:43]justice, but failed again. For 30 years, I've fought not
[10:48]only sex traffickers, but a federal government that has
[10:51]enabled them. Well, that same government fully ignored teen
[10:56]safety and my many FOIA report requests. After three
[11:02]decades of failure, I am suing them for answers. Virginia
[11:12]Dufray's heroism, speaking her truth, her humility, her
[11:16]bravery and love, ended my 14 years of fear and silence.
[11:20]She is the heart of this fight. Please take a moment
[11:23]of silence for her. I would just like to say, speaking
[11:35]for myself now, how very much it means to see this show of
[11:39]solidarity today. After feeling so isolated and alone
[11:44]for so many years with this fight, it's incredible to see
[11:48]all of you standing here and to feel the support coming
[11:51]from elsewhere as well. As a public, since I've come out
[11:55]publicly in this case, I've received so many notes and
[11:59]messages from people who have been impacted by this story,
[12:05]because of how much they relate to the struggles involved in
[12:08]this story. Unfortunately, that's because so many people
[12:11]are affected by these crimes. We have a huge widespread
[12:14]issue with child sexual abuse, with sexual violence
[12:18]against women, with abuse of power in all forms that leads
[12:22]to all forms of trafficking. I truly believe when you're
[12:26]facing problems at this scale, it requires this type of
[12:32]force of coming together, creative solutions around not
[12:36]just the punishment of these very guilty perpetrators, but
[12:40]also education, so people know the signs and understand
[12:45]the signs and can recognize the things that I didn't
[12:48]recognize when I was being lured into this world. I'm
[12:55]so grateful for organizations that do this work. Thank you
[13:01]for World Without Exploitation for hosting this and for doing
[13:05]the very, very important work of education. I just want to
[13:10]thank all of you. I think we all have a role to play in
[13:13]coming together to change these very challenging situations
[13:18]that we face and to solve these problems. Thank you.
[13:39]My name is Sky Roberts. I'm here today with my wife,
[13:42]Amanda Roberts and my brother, Daniel Wilson. We are
[13:47]proud and heartbroken to be standing here before you as
[14:06]the family of Virginia Roberts-Jufre. Virginia is not
[14:11]only our sister, she is a warrior, a survivor. And even
[14:17]though she is no longer with us in body, her voice, her
[14:21]courage, and her fight live on through every one of us
[14:25]here today. We want to start by saying thank you to the
[14:29]survivors who show unimaginable strength simply by
[14:33]standing here, to World Without Exploitation, whose
[14:38]tireless work helps turn pain into purpose, and to every
[14:41]person who refuses to stay silent, even when the world
[14:44]makes it easier to look away. It is an honor, a true
[14:49]privilege to stand with you, to support you, and to help
[14:53]keep Virginia's voice alive. Virginia fought for truth. She
[15:02]fought to expose a system that allowed the wealthy, the
[15:05]connected, and the powerful to exploit and abuse girls and
[15:09]young women without consequence. She fought for
[15:13]every survivor who was silenced, doubted, or
[15:16]discarded. And she never backed down, even when the
[15:19]world tried to break her. Today we rally not only in
[15:27]her memory, but in solidarity with every
[15:29]survivor. We are here to say we see you, we believe
[15:34]you, and we will not stop until justice is served.
[15:42]Because justice is not selective. It does not and
[15:46]must not bend to money, influence, or titles. We're
[15:51]here because every survivor deserves more than a
[15:53]headline. They deserve more than a single conviction. They
[15:57]deserve the full weight of the law behind them. Our
[16:01]demands are clear. Elaine Maxwell must remain in a
[16:05]maximum security prison for the rest of her life. No
[16:11]leniency, no deals, no special treatment. The Epstein
[16:18]documents must be unsealed. Every name, every detail, no
[16:24]more secrets, no more protection for those who
[16:27]preyed on the vulnerable. And finally, we demand full
[16:31]accountability from every enabler, every accomplice,
[16:36]every person in power who turned a blind eye. The
[16:39]justice system was not designed to serve the
[16:41]powerful. It was meant to protect the people. And
[16:44]it's time it started doing just that. This movement
[16:51]isn't just about the past. It's about reshaping
[16:54]the future. A future where survivors are not
[16:56]shamed, silenced, or ignored, but heard, honored,
[17:00]and empowered. Thank you. Thank you for standing
[17:04]here, for fighting alongside us, and for refusing to
[17:08]let this story end with injustice. Virginia's voice
[17:11]echoes in every one of us. Let's make sure the
[17:14]world keeps listening. I want to end it with a
[17:20]quote from Virginia, and I'm going to hand it
[17:22]over to my wife, Amanda. This is a quote from
[17:29]Virginia's journals. I look forward to the days
[17:34]when money and power does not stop the truth
[17:39]from coming out and the righteous prevail. Thank
[17:48]you. Well, good morning. I am Teresa J.
[18:05]Holm. I am the survivor of Keelan Maxwell and
[18:09]Jeffrey Epstein, and I work with the National
[18:13]Center on Sexual Exploitation here in Washington, D.C.,
[18:17]very proudly. And today, I stand here as an expert of
[18:23]my lived experience at the hands of Jeffrey
[18:27]Epstein's co-conspirator, Keelan Maxwell, or, as I
[18:32]first knew her as, Miss Maxwell. I was
[18:37]systematically recruited, trafficked across this great
[18:43]nation, groomed, and assaulted. Keelan, it was
[18:50]your butler that greeted me at the front door
[18:53]of your beautiful home, and it was your calm,
[18:58]manipulative, and fraudulent demeanor that cultivated
[19:03]my trust. That coercive system that you have
[19:09]mastered was entirely end game oriented, and that
[19:16]end game was to feed the perversion of you
[19:21]and Jeffrey through sexual violence. It was you who
[19:26]sent me off to the home of a monster, knowing what
[19:31]was waiting for me. Keelan Maxwell, you are the
[19:37]system, and now you are but a part of another
[19:52]system, one that you've earned through your very
[20:11]own, your very own choices and actions. A prison
[20:18]system where you deserve to live for every moment
[20:23]of your 20-year sentence.
[20:28]And that alone is not enough. Systems require
[20:32]support. There are others that are complicit
[20:37]that have caused harm to women and children
[20:41]that have benefited from that harm. And as it
[20:45]stands in this moment, have enjoyed impunity and
[20:49]dodged accountability. We've heard her voice,
[20:55]now hear ours, loud and clear. Systems built with
[21:01]a root of corruption, violence, and deceit always
[21:06]crumble. That time is coming. Your pseudo power
[21:12]has diminished. It is our time in the power of
[21:16]justice, of common sense. It's our system now.
[21:24]This is a call to action. Now is the time
[21:29]to sift through and get rid of the perpetrators and bad
[21:34]actors. This imminent shift is how our country
[21:40]operates. It's how we will secure this nation's
[21:44]future. And the world is watching. And before I
[21:50]step away, I wanted to add one quick thought.
[21:54]Let's stop calling it an Epstein client list.
[22:00]And let's call it what it actually is. It's
[22:04]Epstein's sex buyer list. Thank you. I'm so proud and
[22:18]honored to be here today. My name is Lisa Phillips,
[22:22]and I'm the host of award-winning podcast From
[22:24]Now On, where I interview survivors. In the year 2000,
[22:30]I was taken to Jeffrey Epstein's island while on a
[22:33]photo shoot in the Caribbean. Who I saw and
[22:37]what I experienced there would change me forever. I
[22:47]had to avoid Jeffrey, but he told me that if I
[22:51]wanted to succeed as a foreign model, he could
[22:53]make it happen. And he was right. He introduced me
[22:57]to Katie Ford and many others in the entertainment
[23:01]business. His grip on the modeling business was
[23:04]undeniable. Not just the Ford family, but
[23:07]Victoria's Secret, Faith Cates, Jean-Luc Brunel,
[23:11]Victoria's Secret. Epstein's reach went to the
[23:15]very top of fashion. He could make a model's
[23:19]career. What I didn't realize then was that
[23:22]once he lured someone like me in, he could also
[23:25]destroy my career if I did not do what he wanted
[23:28]me to do. In New York City, countless young
[23:32]women were abused by him. Everyone in the
[23:35]industry knew, yet he was too powerful to
[23:39]stop. He had friends in all over entertainment
[23:44]and arts, and his value to those friends made
[23:46]him untouchable. But I ask you why. Who was
[23:52]he to our government that he was allowed to
[23:54]operate openly for decades? Why was he
[23:59]allowed to sponsor visas for young models
[24:01]using their immigration status as leverage to
[24:04]abuse them and silence them? Epstein was not
[24:09]just a serial predator. He was an
[24:11]international human trafficker. And many around
[24:16]him knew this. Many participated and many
[24:19]profited. And yet he was protected. I know
[24:24]what it's like to be trafficked to others. I
[24:27]know that the files contain the names of
[24:29]powerful men who have been shielded because
[24:32]of their fame or their fortune. So I stand
[24:36]here today not just for myself but for
[24:38]every woman who has been silenced, exploited
[24:40]and dismissed. Thank you. And we are not
[24:49]asking for pity. We are demanding
[24:51]accountability. Congress must choose. Will
[24:59]you continue to protect predators or will
[25:02]you finally protect survivors?
[25:06]Transparency is justice. Release the files.
[25:09]End the secrecy and stand with us in
[25:11]declaring that no one, no billionaires,
[25:14]no politicians, not world leaders is above
[25:17]the law. And let me announce now. Several
[25:27]of us Epstein survivors have been
[25:29]discussing creating our own list of names.
[25:31]We know the names. Many of us were abused
[25:43]by them. Now together as survivors we
[25:47]will confidentially compile the names we
[25:49]all know we're regularly in the Epstein
[25:51]world. And it will be done by
[25:53]survivors and for survivors. No one else
[26:00]is involved. Stay tuned for more
[26:02]details on that. Because history is
[26:06]watching and so are the women who
[26:09]will come after us. Thank you. If
[26:24]that's not bravery, I do not know what
[26:27]is. Okay, we're bringing up another group
[26:32]of women. Ashley, Danny, Jess, Haley,
[26:35]and Wendy. Come on up.
[26:56]So my name is Ashley Rubright and I
[26:59]am a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein and
[27:01]Galeen Maxwell. Some things I want to
[27:05]say. To any survivors out there who
[27:09]feel like they don't matter, it doesn't
[27:12]matter if you went once or countless
[27:14]times. We were groomed, we were
[27:17]manipulated, and we were taken
[27:19]advantage of. For decades survivors have
[27:22]been suffocated by speculation, we've
[27:25]been mocked, we've been doubted, we've
[27:27]been re-traumatized, while those that
[27:30]hide in secret, while those responsible
[27:32]hide in secrecy. Why don't we deserve
[27:35]justice? This is not partisan, however
[27:40]this is very political, as the only
[27:43]path to justice is through our political
[27:45]system.
[27:47]And this is about justice, this is
[27:49]about accountability,
[27:51]this is about protecting the innocence
[27:53]of our children and honoring the
[27:55]dignity of survivors.
[27:57]Everywhere we turn, the story follows
[27:59]us. It's in headlines, jokes,
[28:02]music, grocery store checkout lines,
[28:05]random conversations that you hear
[28:07]people having in restaurants.
[28:10]For more than 20 years we've been
[28:11]unable to escape it,
[28:13]and every time new promises are made
[28:15]our sparks of hope are lit, only to be
[28:18]extinguished again.
[28:21]We are tired, however
[28:25]we are not going away. We will not
[28:31]stop
[28:34]or give up, and we will be on the
[28:37]front lines of this battle.
[28:39]We are no longer scared, and let's be
[28:42]clear,
[28:44]there were so many enabling
[28:47]adults. Those enablers
[28:50]actively turned a blind eye, and they
[28:53]are the greatest danger.
[28:57]And you know who you are, as do we.
[29:01]You allowed us to be abused for a
[29:03]fat check
[29:04]and a cushy life, which you still
[29:06]have.
[29:08]And to those in power, hear us clearly,
[29:12]do your job, release what needs to be
[29:15]released,
[29:17]and hold those responsible accountable.
[29:23]Survivors, sorry, survivors deserve
[29:31]peace,
[29:32]survivors deserve truth, survivors
[29:35]deserve justice.
[29:37]And to my fellow survivors, your voice
[29:41]matters,
[29:41]your story matters, and you matter.
[29:45]Together we are louder than the silence.
[29:48]Together we will not stop until justice
[29:50]is done.
[30:05]Good afternoon. Wow, a lot of people
[30:08]showed out for us today.
[30:10]I wasn't expecting all this support.
[30:14]What an incredible feeling, and thank
[30:16]you for everybody for being here. I'm
[30:17]going to try to make this as quick
[30:20]so the other girls don't have to be
[30:21]crunching for time.
[30:24]My name is Haley Robson. I came out in
[30:26]2019 on the documentary Filthy Rich.
[30:29]I have been very focused on bringing
[30:32]more awareness to all of the
[30:33]survivors.
[30:35]I am so proud to stand with them. I
[30:37]am so proud to be up here to support
[30:38]them because they deserve all the
[30:40]love and support.
[30:41]And I just want to say to the
[30:43]women who chose this moment
[30:45]to come out for the very first time
[30:47]about your abuse,
[30:49]I cannot think of a more important,
[30:52]greater purpose in life than to stand
[30:55]in solidarity when time is against us,
[30:57]when the politicians have made us an
[31:00]enemy,
[31:00]when the world is watching and
[31:02]everybody is hoping for some type of
[31:04]result.
[31:05]Thank you for choosing this moment
[31:07]for the first time
[31:09]to be so brave to come out
[31:12]and stand in solidarity.
[31:14]I prayed for a moment. I prayed for
[31:18]this moment where God
[31:20]would fill us with reinforcements. I
[31:23]want to acknowledge
[31:24]all the women, unfortunately, that
[31:26]couldn't be here today because I think
[31:28]that is the only list
[31:30]of real great importance and we should
[31:32]never forget the voices that were not
[31:34]only silenced
[31:35]but that are not here today and we
[31:36]should never forget the sacrifices
[31:38]that they made.
[31:41]So today I would like to take a
[31:43]moment
[31:44]for Virginia, Sky, Danielle, and
[31:47]Carolyn.
[31:48]Their voices were just as powerful
[31:51]and they were silenced just as much
[31:53]and for some reason I can feel their
[31:56]spirit especially Virginia's today. She
[31:58]would be so proud
[32:00]and she would be so beside herself to
[32:02]see this one moment we have all came
[32:04]together to unite
[32:06]and for our government and for the
[32:08]politicians who have taken our trauma
[32:10]and have weaponized it against us
[32:12]making it unbearable, making it
[32:14]unlivable,
[32:15]making it hard to move on in a life
[32:17]that we wish to live
[32:19]in happiness and joy and peace and
[32:21]injustice that can only come from
[32:22]within at this point
[32:24]and we have gotten to this point. Shame
[32:27]on you.
[32:28]Shame on you for using our trauma to
[32:31]weaponize this moment.
[32:34]We are not going to be fooled by your
[32:36]trickery.
[32:36]We are not going to be fooled by the
[32:38]lies, by the conspiracy theories.
[32:41]We are the keys to this situation. We
[32:44]have the truth
[32:46]and the FBI knows the truth. The
[32:48]government knows the truth.
[32:50]You may pull the wool over the sheep's
[32:53]eyes
[32:54]but we are the keys. We know who was
[32:56]involved. We know the game.
[32:58]We know the players and we are sitting
[33:01]here
[33:02]for 20 years waiting for you to get
[33:05]up and do something.
[33:06]Well guess what? Your time is up and
[33:09]now we're doing it.
[33:22]Hello everybody. My name is Wendy
[33:24]Passante
[33:25]and I was abused by Jeffrey Epstein
[33:27]when I was 14 years old.
[33:30]I'm not here to relive what happened.
[33:33]I'm here to be counted and to make
[33:35]sure others are counted too.
[33:37]I once believed my silence was strength.
[33:41]Hold it together. Don't draw attention.
[33:45]Today I know that strength sounds
[33:47]like my voice.
[33:48]It sounds like everybody's voice is up
[33:50]here.
[33:53]Silence only protects predators not
[33:56]children.
[33:57]People ask what about the victims?
[34:00]We're here. We're here today and
[34:03]there's more of us.
[34:05]I stand with many who are still finding
[34:08]their words.
[34:09]I live in a world where being
[34:11]understood is a struggle.
[34:13]Where people in power would rather
[34:14]sweep us under the rug
[34:16]in hopes that we'll go away. We
[34:19]won't.
[34:23]Being a survivor is not a headline.
[34:25]It's our life. We have to live it.
[34:28]It's panic in a grocery store.
[34:30]It's smiling at work while my hands
[34:32]tremble.
[34:33]It's waking up at 3 a.m with my heart
[34:36]racing and not knowing why.
[34:38]It's living with PTSD anxiety and
[34:40]depression and your nervous system's
[34:42]on guard at all times even in the
[34:44]safest room around the safest people.
[34:49]Healing isn't tidy. It's therapy.
[34:53]It's wait lists. It's trying a
[34:55]medication and trying again
[34:56]over and over for years.
[34:59]It's setting boundaries with some
[35:01]people who won't understand.
[35:03]Survival isn't weakness. It's wisdom
[35:05]we've earned.
[35:07]If you are a survivor hearing me, your
[35:09]voice is never too late, too much or
[35:11]too little.
[35:13]If all you could do was show up
[35:15]today, you're already trying to make
[35:16]a difference.
[35:19]You do not owe anyone your
[35:21]story.
[35:23]You are owed safety, care and belief.
[35:26]Your breath is proof that harm does
[35:28]not get the last word.
[35:31]I'm not asking anyone to take a
[35:33]political side.
[35:34]I really don't even follow a lot of
[35:37]politics.
[35:39]I'm asking you to take a stand in
[35:41]solidarity.
[35:42]Protect the vulnerable, not the
[35:44]powerful.
[35:45]Protect children and survivors,
[35:49]not titles and reputations.
[35:52]Our silence doesn't keep us safe
[35:56]and I hope today's courage from all of
[35:59]us ladies
[36:00]can help someone else be safer tomorrow.
[36:05]We are here and we refuse to be
[36:07]erased.
[36:09]So thank you guys for
[36:12]listening to all of us and being
[36:14]here today.
[36:31]Hello everybody. Thank you for being
[36:32]here.
[36:35]As I stand here today and look
[36:39]around,
[36:41]I want to acknowledge what it feels
[36:43]like to be
[36:44]in the presence of these incredibly
[36:46]brave,
[36:47]powerful women that I stand up here
[36:49]with.
[36:51]I am so empowered by each and every
[36:53]one of your fortitude
[36:56]and I am following in the brave
[36:57]footsteps of those that came before me.
[37:00]While we each have our own stories
[37:01]and walk down different paths of life,
[37:04]we are bonded together as survivors.
[37:07]When I look into these beautiful
[37:09]faces,
[37:11]I am reminded that we all started our
[37:13]journeys
[37:14]with big hopes and dreams.
[37:17]Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirator
[37:20]Gillian Maxwell
[37:21]stole and systematically destroyed
[37:24]those dreams.
[37:26]We are a mosaic of shattered hopes
[37:29]and dreams at their hands.
[37:31]As an aspiring dancer, the
[37:33]manipulation came in forms of offering
[37:35]me dance studio space,
[37:36]discussing opportunities to meet with
[37:38]ballet masters,
[37:39]and aiding a very ill family member of
[37:41]mine,
[37:42]none of which would ever come to pass.
[37:44]Instead, I was left in a cycle of abuse
[37:48]that wore me down and broke me.
[37:53]When it happened, I would have to
[37:55]completely disassociate.
[37:57]Similar to a coma, my brain would
[37:58]need to protect itself so I would
[38:00]retreat
[38:01]and choreographing in my own head
[38:03]to escape the cruel acts that were
[38:04]being carried out on my body.
[38:06]After, I would go to the studio
[38:08]bundled in giant
[38:09]baggy clothing. I remember standing there,
[38:12]staring in the mirror as if it were an
[38:15]empty
[38:15]void. I was past the point of tears.
[38:19]There was nothing left. I was a hollow
[38:21]shell of myself.
[38:23]I could no longer watch my body move,
[38:25]let alone
[38:26]dance. He had taken something sacred
[38:29]from me.
[38:30]Two decades later, I am still
[38:32]experiencing lingering effects of what
[38:34]happened to me as a teenager.
[38:37]I am just one story in the mosaic of
[38:40]women
[38:41]taking back their power by confronting
[38:43]the horrific truths
[38:45]of their pasts due to Jeffrey Epstein
[38:48]and Gillian Maxwell.
[38:50]We stand here today in the nation's
[38:52]capital for no other reason than to
[38:54]say
[38:55]that women's voices will not be
[38:58]marginalized.
[39:01]We stand together as a mosaic of
[39:03]stories, but we're also finding our
[39:05]way back to ourselves.
[39:07]We are reclaiming the fragmented shards
[39:10]of the hopes and dreams of our pasts
[39:12]to paint a better future
[39:14]for the next generation of women.
[39:17]This story has come to Washington to
[39:19]be told.
[39:21]We will be heard. Thank you. My name
[39:36]is Jess Michaels and I'm a 1991
[39:39]Jeffrey Epstein survivor.
[39:42]27 years. For 27 years,
[39:46]I thought I was the only one that
[39:48]Jeffrey Epstein raped.
[39:50]I believed I was alone and I was kept
[39:52]silent by the shame that was inside me
[39:55]and by the fear outside in the world.
[39:59]But I wasn't the only one. None of us
[40:02]were.
[40:04]And what once kept us silent now
[40:06]fuels that fire
[40:08]and the power of our voices.
[40:11]We are not the footnotes in some
[40:14]infamous
[40:15]Predators tabloid article.
[40:19]We are the experts and the subjects
[40:22]of this story.
[40:24]We are the proof that fear did not
[40:27]break us
[40:28]and we don't we don't just speak for
[40:30]ourselves but for every survivor whose
[40:33]story
[40:34]is still unspoken. For those
[40:37]not with us today. For Virginia
[40:42]whose courage lit the path and opened
[40:44]the door
[40:45]for us to walk through. This is what
[40:48]power looks like.
[40:49]Survivors united. Voices joined.
[40:52]Refusing to be dismissed.
[40:56]Know this. Justice and accountability
[40:59]are not favors from the powerful.
[41:03]They are obligations decades overdue.
[41:09]This moment began with Epstein's
[41:10]crimes but it's going to be
[41:12]remembered
[41:13]for survivors demanding justice,
[41:16]demanding truth,
[41:17]demanding accountability and we will
[41:20]not
[41:21]stop until survivor voices shape
[41:24]justice, transform culture
[41:27]and define the future. We are no
[41:33]longer
[41:34]whispers. We are one powerful voice
[41:38]too loud to ignore
[41:39]and we will never be silenced again.
[41:43]Thank you. In the home stretch
[42:20]um we are going to bring up Eric
[42:22]Fiduli
[42:23]who is a lawyer. Sometimes
[42:27]survivors are ready to be seen, they're
[42:29]not ready to be heard
[42:31]and so we would love to bring you
[42:33]up
[42:34]because you represent so many
[42:35]survivors who
[42:37]are so critical to this story. Good
[42:49]morning everyone.
[42:50]My name is Eric Fudali uh and I've
[42:53]had the privilege of representing up
[42:55]to 11
[42:56]survivors of Jeffrey Epstein uh and one
[42:59]of them is standing next to me here
[43:00]today.
[43:02]This is Rosa. Uh you may not realize
[43:10]this but what I just did
[43:12]is the first time anyone has ever said
[43:14]Rosa's name publicly
[43:16]as being attached and being abused by
[43:17]Jeffrey Epstein
[43:28]and this is also the first time she
[43:30]has ever appeared
[43:31]publicly as a survivor of Jeffrey
[43:33]Epstein and I say that
[43:36]because it was last night that she
[43:38]flew into Washington DC
[43:40]inspired by the solidarity of all of you
[43:44]by the compassion of all of you and by
[43:46]the courage
[43:47]of all of you to be here today and
[43:56]I'm so proud of Rosa
[43:57]and I'm so proud of all of you but
[44:00]the truth is Rosa
[44:01]shouldn't be here today. Rosa
[44:04]shouldn't have to be here today and
[44:05]I'm going to tell you why
[44:07]because Rosa was trafficked from
[44:08]Uzbekistan
[44:10]under the guise of a modeling
[44:12]contract
[44:13]in 2009. That means that
[44:18]Rosa wouldn't be here today if Alex
[44:21]Acosta
[44:22]had it had Jeffrey Epstein in his
[44:24]grasp
[44:25]had what every single law enforcement
[44:28]officer dreams of
[44:30]to stop a predator in his tracks and
[44:32]what did he do?
[44:34]He gave him a slap on the wrist and
[44:36]let him to continue to abuse
[44:38]and had he not, Epstein never
[44:40]would have met Rosa
[44:42]and Rosa would not have to be here
[44:43]today
[44:45]but none of you should have to be here
[44:47]today. None of you should have to be
[44:50]there today because
[44:51]if when Jeffrey Epstein was finally
[44:52]arrested in 2016
[44:54]and under federal custody he wouldn't
[44:56]have been allowed
[44:58]to take his own life and avoid the
[45:00]accountability and justice you all
[45:01]deserve
[45:03]and none of you should be here today
[45:05]because Ghislaine Maxwell should not
[45:07]have been given
[45:08]a platform to deny
[45:11]the crimes against her who was
[45:13]convicted
[45:18]who was convicted of trafficking and
[45:20]tricking 14 year old girls
[45:24]she should not have been given a
[45:25]platform and she should not have been
[45:26]rewarded after that platform
[45:28]in a minimum security resort
[45:35]and none of you should have to be
[45:36]here today because
[45:37]they should just release the files
[45:41]no more slow rolling no more meetings
[45:43]no more strategy no more
[45:45]interviews behind closed doors release
[45:48]the files and give you all
[45:50]and Rosa the accountability the
[45:52]exposure
[45:53]and most importantly the closure you
[45:56]all deserve
[45:57]thank you. Our last speaker this
[46:11]morning
[46:11]is no stranger to the plight of
[46:13]survivors
[46:14]and so with that I'd love to welcome
[46:16]Gloria Allred
[46:17]to wrap us up here. Give a big round
[46:30]of applause to all the survivors and
[46:33]all the victims and all the
[46:34]supporters today.
[46:38]I commend you and it matters that
[46:40]you're here
[46:42]let me just say your voice is
[46:46]important
[46:48]but power only recognizes power
[46:51]and for many years we have not
[46:55]exercised our power in a way
[46:58]that helped win change and you all
[47:01]and we all have been betrayed
[47:05]I represent Alicia Arden and 26 other
[47:08]brave survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and
[47:11]some of
[47:12]Elaine Maxwell. Elaine Maxwell and in
[47:15]1997 my client Alicia Arden
[47:18]went to the police in Santa Monica
[47:21]and said that she had been
[47:25]the victim of sexually inappropriate
[47:27]conduct by Jeffrey Epstein
[47:29]when he invited her to be auditioning
[47:32]for
[47:32]Victoria's Secret catalog and she went
[47:37]to the police
[47:39]and they said why don't you think
[47:40]about it before you file a police
[47:42]report
[47:43]she thought about it and came back the
[47:44]following week and filed the first
[47:46]documented police report against
[47:48]Jeffrey Epstein
[47:50]in 1997 and you all were betrayed
[47:54]because there was no prosecution
[47:57]believe women let's hear it believe
[47:59]women believe women believe women
[48:04]and then the victims and all of us were
[48:07]betrayed
[48:09]when in Florida
[48:12]Mr Acosta made that deal US attorney
[48:15]is for the southern district of
[48:17]Florida made that
[48:19]deal that instead of 60 felony counts
[48:23]that could have been filed by the
[48:24]United States attorney
[48:27]two counts were filed by the state
[48:29]attorney
[48:30]and Jeffrey Epstein without having a
[48:34]trial
[48:35]was able to go to his office every
[48:39]day as part of the sentence and just
[48:40]sleep in the jail at night for 13
[48:42]months
[48:43]is that justice you were betrayed
[48:49]and then of course there was New
[48:51]York
[48:53]New York where Jeffrey Epstein was
[48:55]brought in arrested I saw him at the
[48:57]last hearing federal court
[49:00]and so many victims and so many
[49:02]survivors thought at last there's
[49:04]justice
[49:06]but instead of justice there was a
[49:08]dead body the metropolitan
[49:10]correctional center and questions are
[49:12]still being asked
[49:14]was it suicide was it homicide but the
[49:17]victims never got to
[49:19]testify a trial confront that sexual
[49:22]predator
[49:23]was that justice this is we're overdue
[49:27]for justice
[49:29]we're not going to be waiting for
[49:30]justice we are
[49:32]fighting for justice and let me tell
[49:38]you
[49:38]no more talk of the word pedophiles
[49:42]which only means a man who is
[49:44]attracted to children
[49:46]we're not talking about pedophiles
[49:48]we're talking about sexual predators
[49:51]and child molesters
[49:53]let's get the word in about what the
[49:55]crime was that they committed
[49:57]do you agree and finally
[50:02]let me just say they took
[50:05]these predators took advantage of
[50:07]vulnerable children
[50:09]of vulnerable adults we know how
[50:12]vulnerable women can be
[50:14]and they abuse their power and they
[50:16]abuse their trust
[50:18]and it's time to meet power with
[50:20]power
[50:21]there are three stages of evolution
[50:23]the first is victim
[50:25]the second is survivor and the third
[50:28]is fighter for change are you going to
[50:30]be fighters for change
[50:33]not just today but every day
[50:37]not just in politics in congress
[50:40]but in lawsuits in speaking to people
[50:44]your co-workers your children
[50:47]your mothers help them support them to
[50:50]stand up to win justice
[50:52]because nobody has ever given women
[50:55]and children any rights
[50:56]we've always had to fight to win them
[50:59]we've had to fight to keep them will you
[51:01]fight that fight
[51:04]and i leave you with this one of my
[51:07]favorite sayings
[51:09]pray for the dead and that's for
[51:11]virginia roberts and all those who
[51:12]didn't make it here today
[51:15]pray for the dead but fight like hell
[51:18]for the living
[51:19]keep up the fight let me hear it
[51:23]keep up the fight keep up the fight
[51:26]keep up the fight keep up the fight
[51:29]thank you very much everybody for
[51:42]coming
[51:44]one last unbelievable
[52:58]okay
[53:06]yeah that's all
[53:14]i'm telling you
[53:31]come back
[53:48]good morning everybody good morning
[53:54]please if we could just out of respect
[53:56]for particularly the survivors are
[53:58]going to speak if we could
[54:01]have some silence and if folks could
[54:06]just please uh
[54:08]come down you can people can speak when
[54:09]members of congress are speaking i just
[54:11]want to make sure
[54:12]that the victims and survivors are
[54:14]going to be heard today
[54:16]i want to begin by thanking britney
[54:19]henderson and brad edwards
[54:21]for their tireless work in the
[54:23]pursuit of justice
[54:24]and i want to thank sarah droary on
[54:26]my team for working with them
[54:28]above all i want to thank the
[54:30]survivors who are here today
[54:32]whose courage and strength have brought
[54:35]us to this moment
[54:37]i want to thank my co-lead
[54:39]congressman thomas massey and
[54:42]congresswoman marjorie taylor green
[54:45]for standing with survivors here today
[54:48]today as you can see we're united
[54:51]in restoring trust in government
[54:55]we're here not as partisans we're here
[54:57]as patriots
[54:59]we begin the work of bringing this
[55:01]country together
[55:03]progressives independents
[55:06]moderates and yes MAGA supporters
[55:10]to demand truth and justice
[55:14]a nation that allows rich and powerful
[55:17]men
[55:18]to traffic and abuse young girls
[55:21]without consequence is a nation that
[55:24]has lost
[55:25]its moral and spiritual core
[55:29]americans are asking a very simple
[55:31]question
[55:33]how is it possible that in the
[55:36]richest most powerful country in the
[55:39]world
[55:41]there are corrupt special interest
[55:43]forces both foreign
[55:45]or domestic that are preventing
[55:49]the release that have a stranglehold
[55:51]on our government
[55:52]and are preventing the release of the
[55:54]full epstein files
[55:56]there is something that is rotten in
[55:59]washington
[56:01]less than one percent of these files
[56:02]have been released
[56:04]we are demanding today on the
[56:06]discharge petition
[56:07]that all of the files be released we
[56:10]know we have
[56:11]212 democrats and we have
[56:14]four republicans courageous
[56:16]republicans like thomas massey
[56:18]nancy mace who was so emotional
[56:21]yesterday after
[56:22]talking to the survivors congresswoman
[56:25]bobert and congresswoman marjorie
[56:28]taylor green
[56:28]we need just two more signatures to
[56:31]force the release
[56:32]so we gather here on the steps of the
[56:35]capital
[56:36]to confront these corrupt forces
[56:38]today we stand with survivors
[56:41]we stand against big money
[56:44]we stand to protect america's
[56:47]children
[56:48]that is really what this is about i
[56:50]now want to bring up
[56:52]my republican colleague thomas massey
[56:55]he has shown so much courage so much
[56:57]leadership
[56:58]and i saw some people i i say the same
[57:00]thing about marjorie taylor green she
[57:02]has shown so much courage on this
[57:03]issue
[57:04]i saw some people when i was coming
[57:06]here calling her names we've got to
[57:07]stop that
[57:08]we've got to stop the partisanship on
[57:12]this issue this is
[57:13]an issue where they both have shown
[57:14]real courage and leadership
[57:16]and i appreciate them joining us
[57:18]today congressman massey
[57:23]i want to thank my colleague rocana
[57:24]for co-leading this effort to bring
[57:26]transparency and justice for these
[57:29]victims
[57:30]i hope my colleagues are watching this
[57:32]press conference
[57:33]i want them to think what if this was
[57:35]your sister what if this was your
[57:37]daughter
[57:38]when these survivors speak the
[57:40]washington establishment
[57:42]is asking the american public to
[57:44]believe something that is not
[57:45]believable
[57:46]they're asking you to believe that
[57:49]two individuals
[57:51]created hundreds of victims and they
[57:53]acted alone
[57:54]and that the doj has no idea of who
[57:57]else might have been involved
[57:59]that nobody else did anything that
[58:01]rose
[58:02]to a criminal enterprise the american
[58:04]people know that's not true
[58:06]now the speaker of the house just
[58:08]offered a fig leaf to my colleagues
[58:10]they're going to vote
[58:11]on a non-binding resolution today
[58:14]that does
[58:14]absolutely nothing i appreciate the
[58:18]efforts of my colleague james comar
[58:19]who's leading the oversight committee
[58:21]they may find some information
[58:24]but they're allowing the doj to curate
[58:27]all of the information that the doj is
[58:30]giving them
[58:31]if you've looked at the pages they've
[58:32]released so far they're heavily
[58:34]redacted some pages are entirely
[58:36]redacted
[58:37]and 97 percent of this is already in
[58:40]the public domain
[58:42]so i'm calling on my colleagues be one
[58:45]of the next two
[58:47]who sponsors this discharge petition
[58:51]i think it's shameful that this has
[58:53]been called a hoax
[58:55]hopefully today we can clear that up
[58:57]this is not a hoax
[58:59]this is real there are real survivors
[59:02]there are real victims to this criminal
[59:05]enterprise
[59:06]and the perpetrators are being
[59:08]protected because they're rich
[59:10]and powerful and political donors
[59:13]to the establishment here in
[59:15]washington dc
[59:17]so today we're standing with these
[59:19]survivors and we're giving them a
[59:21]voice
[59:21]and i want to close by thanking them
[59:24]they are brave i hope they encourage
[59:27]other survivors to come forward
[59:29]and to to tell their stories not just
[59:32]of
[59:33]jeffrey epstein and maxwell but
[59:35]anywhere in the country
[59:37]this is a this is a message that we
[59:40]are sending
[59:41]this is a litmus test can we drain
[59:43]the swamp can
[59:44]are there people who are outside of
[59:47]the
[59:48]reach of the law i don't think there
[59:50]should be
[59:52]so hopefully today we'll get two more
[59:54]signatures on the discharge petition
[59:56]that's all we need
[59:57]and with that i want to introduce the
[1:00:00]bravest woman in congress
[1:00:02]marjorie taylor green
[1:00:05]i find it interesting that the three
[1:00:07]republican co-sponsors are women
[1:00:10]these are women standing up for women
[1:00:12]and marjorie was the first to do it
[1:00:14]and i think she deserves all of our
[1:00:17]gratitude
[1:00:18]for breaking that barrier and leading
[1:00:19]the way for the other
[1:00:21]republicans hopefully they can find
[1:00:22]their spines as well
[1:00:24]and with that i give you marjorie
[1:00:25]taylor green good morning
[1:00:32]this is my fifth year in congress and
[1:00:34]this is the largest
[1:00:35]press conference that i've seen since
[1:00:37]i've been here
[1:00:38]and this is because this is an
[1:00:40]issue that matters so much to
[1:00:41]americans
[1:00:43]this is an issue that doesn't have
[1:00:45]political boundaries
[1:00:47]it's it's an issue that republicans
[1:00:49]and democrats should never fight
[1:00:50]about
[1:00:51]as a matter of fact it's such an
[1:00:53]important issue
[1:00:54]that it should bring us all together
[1:00:56]it's grieved me
[1:00:58]to watch the arguments and debates
[1:01:00]take place
[1:01:01]among my colleagues and even the
[1:01:04]administration
[1:01:05]i think this is something that was
[1:01:07]worth fighting for
[1:01:09]you see the women behind me are you
[1:01:11]going to tell you stories
[1:01:13]that you've never heard before these
[1:01:16]are unimaginable horrors that
[1:01:17]they've lived with
[1:01:19]for their entire lives since they were
[1:01:21]very very young
[1:01:23]but these are also similar stories that
[1:01:26]many children
[1:01:27]teenagers women and even men
[1:01:30]are enduring nightmares right now as
[1:01:32]we speak
[1:01:34]you see these women have been fighting
[1:01:37]since the 1990s i heard one woman
[1:01:39]tell us yesterday since 1996
[1:01:43]and they have carried with them
[1:01:45]shame but i want to tell you
[1:01:47]something
[1:01:48]the shame does not fall on these
[1:01:50]brave courageous women
[1:01:53]the shame falls on every single person
[1:01:56]that coldly turned a blind eye
[1:02:00]to their abuse the shame falls on
[1:02:02]every single person
[1:02:04]that enabled it the shame falls on
[1:02:07]every single person that took money
[1:02:10]to continue it and the shame falls
[1:02:13]on the people in power over the
[1:02:15]past several decades
[1:02:17]that protected the monster Jeffrey
[1:02:19]Epstein
[1:02:20]and his cabal that continued a
[1:02:23]nightmare
[1:02:25]those people deserve the shame and
[1:02:28]today
[1:02:28]we are coming forward and we are going
[1:02:30]to fight like hell for these women
[1:02:32]because we have to fight like hell
[1:02:34]for those that are enduring sexual abuse
[1:02:38]and are living in a prison of shame
[1:02:41]anyone that is being abused it is
[1:02:44]not
[1:02:45]your fault you should live with no guilt
[1:02:47]or fear or shame all
[1:02:50]of the fault belongs to the evil people
[1:02:54]that do these things to the innocent
[1:02:57]this is the most important fight we
[1:02:59]can wage here in congress
[1:03:01]is fighting for innocent people that
[1:03:04]never received justice
[1:03:05]and the women behind me have never
[1:03:08]received justice
[1:03:09]and do you want to know why it's
[1:03:12]because Jeffrey Epstein
[1:03:13]somehow was able to walk among the most
[1:03:16]rich
[1:03:17]powerful people not only in America but
[1:03:20]foreign countries
[1:03:21]yesterday i heard countries like
[1:03:23]Saudi Arabia
[1:03:24]Russia and even Israel and other
[1:03:27]countries
[1:03:30]the truth needs to come out and the
[1:03:33]government holds the truth
[1:03:35]the the cases that are sealed hold
[1:03:38]the truth
[1:03:39]Jeffrey Epstein's estate holds the
[1:03:42]truth
[1:03:43]the FBI the DOJ and the CIA
[1:03:46]holds the truth and the truth
[1:03:49]we are demanding come out on behalf of
[1:03:52]these women
[1:03:53]but also as a strong message to every
[1:03:56]innocent child teenager woman and man
[1:04:00]that is being held captive in abuse
[1:04:03]this should never happen in America
[1:04:05]and it should never be a political
[1:04:08]issue that divides us
[1:04:10]and I want to thank Ro Khanna and Thomas
[1:04:13]Massey
[1:04:13]for doing something brave crossing
[1:04:16]political boundaries
[1:04:18]for a very important fight and I'm
[1:04:21]honored to join both of them
[1:04:23]and I'm honored that Nancy Mace and
[1:04:25]Lauren Boebert
[1:04:27]signed the discharge petition along
[1:04:29]with myself
[1:04:31]and I asked my Republican colleagues
[1:04:33]not to choose just one path for
[1:04:36]justice and transparency and
[1:04:38]accountability
[1:04:39]but I asked my Republican colleagues to
[1:04:41]choose
[1:04:42]every path for justice and
[1:04:45]accountability and transparency
[1:04:48]and with that I'd like to bring back
[1:04:50]Congressman Ro Khanna
[1:04:52]to start this important press
[1:04:54]conference thank you very much
[1:04:58]thank you uh congresswoman Green for
[1:05:02]your courage and for being here and
[1:05:03]thank you again to Congressman Massey
[1:05:06]for co-leading it I now would like to
[1:05:08]introduce
[1:05:09]two people who've been fighting this
[1:05:10]for decades
[1:05:12]they haven't had their voice heard the
[1:05:13]victims haven't been heard they
[1:05:15]haven't just been on this
[1:05:16]in the last few months they've been
[1:05:18]doing this in the wilderness
[1:05:19]for years and they are really models
[1:05:22]of courage
[1:05:23]Bradley Edwards and Brittany Henderson
[1:05:25]who are the attorneys for the
[1:05:26]victims thank you for being here
[1:05:33]thank you uh
[1:05:36]Ro and and Thomas Massey I really
[1:05:38]appreciate
[1:05:39]you putting forth this discharge
[1:05:41]petition
[1:05:42]um it's tough to understand that we
[1:05:45]have to be here because this doesn't
[1:05:46]seem like a partisan issue
[1:05:48]this is an issue sex trafficking and
[1:05:49]sexual abuse transcends politics
[1:05:53]we as Americans expect equal
[1:05:55]protection under the law and there
[1:05:56]can be no doubt that Jeffrey Epstein
[1:05:58]received far greater protection than
[1:06:01]any of the victims that he abused
[1:06:02]for years
[1:06:05]we in 2008 Courtney Wilde walked into
[1:06:08]my office because she was a part
[1:06:11]of a federal investigation into
[1:06:12]Jeffrey Epstein
[1:06:14]where all she wanted was the
[1:06:15]government to talk to her
[1:06:16]little did she know the government had
[1:06:18]worked out a secret immunity deal
[1:06:20]for Jeffrey Epstein and we had to
[1:06:22]file
[1:06:23]Jane Doe's versus United States of
[1:06:25]America
[1:06:27]to prove that Jeffrey Epstein
[1:06:29]worked out an illegal non-prosecution
[1:06:31]agreement
[1:06:32]with the government that was 2008 it
[1:06:34]took us 10 years battling the
[1:06:36]government pro bono
[1:06:37]for the judge to ultimately determine
[1:06:39]that the victim's rights were
[1:06:40]violated
[1:06:42]the government has mistreated them
[1:06:44]after Jeffrey Epstein mistreated them
[1:06:46]we then filed civil lawsuits against
[1:06:47]Gillian Maxwell
[1:06:48]which has resulted in her being in
[1:06:50]prison our civil lawsuits led to her
[1:06:52]prosecution
[1:06:54]we filed lawsuits against Jeffrey
[1:06:55]Epstein against his estate
[1:06:58]and against two financial
[1:07:00]institutions JP Morgan
[1:07:02]and Deutsche Bank that proved that
[1:07:05]they provided knowingly provided the
[1:07:07]financial infrastructure for a sex
[1:07:08]trafficking operation
[1:07:10]unfortunately all of the documents and
[1:07:12]evidence that we have worked so hard to
[1:07:14]gather
[1:07:15]hide behind protective orders
[1:07:17]confidentiality agreements and bank
[1:07:19]secrecy laws
[1:07:20]that is why this discharge petition
[1:07:22]is so important
[1:07:23]while we have seen the documents you
[1:07:25]haven't
[1:07:26]and when you see the documents you're
[1:07:28]going to be appalled
[1:07:29]and the American people deserve to see
[1:07:32]everything
[1:07:33]when you sign this discharge
[1:07:34]petition it should mean nothing is
[1:07:37]off limits that means
[1:07:38]the documents in the possession of the
[1:07:40]CIA
[1:07:41]should be made available those in the
[1:07:43]possession of the FBI going back
[1:07:45]decades should be made available the
[1:07:47]SEC
[1:07:47]financial records in the possession of
[1:07:49]FinCEN should be made available
[1:07:52]everybody knows that evil evil
[1:07:55]flourishes
[1:07:55]in the darkness corruption flourishes
[1:07:58]in secrecy
[1:07:59]it is time right now to make a
[1:08:02]difference
[1:08:03]for the women that are behind me
[1:08:04]right now they have been courageous
[1:08:06]and fought through this whole thing
[1:08:08]whether you're a Republican or you're a
[1:08:10]Democrat
[1:08:11]this one is an easy call you're an
[1:08:13]American who cares about
[1:08:15]equal rights and equal protection
[1:08:17]under the law if you care about these
[1:08:18]women
[1:08:19]if you care about our country and you
[1:08:21]care about this issue
[1:08:22]this should pass with flying colors I
[1:08:25]really appreciate everybody being here
[1:08:33]hi good morning my name is Brittany
[1:08:34]Henderson and I think
[1:08:36]in addition to thanking the
[1:08:37]wonderful congressmen and women who
[1:08:39]are here today
[1:08:40]we need to thank the women and not
[1:08:42]just the women who are going to
[1:08:43]speak
[1:08:43]but the other women who are standing
[1:08:45]behind them along with other lawyers
[1:08:46]Sigrid McAuley
[1:08:47]and people who have been fighting for a
[1:08:49]very very long time
[1:08:51]for the world to give this kind of
[1:08:52]attention to an issue that it should
[1:08:54]have had forever
[1:08:56]this administration has the
[1:08:57]opportunity to do what the past
[1:08:59]administrations did not do
[1:09:01]this administration can either stand
[1:09:03]with the victims
[1:09:04]and stand for the victims or it can
[1:09:06]continue to hurt the victims
[1:09:07]like has happened in the past we
[1:09:09]aren't here just to ask for
[1:09:11]transparency though
[1:09:12]we're here too to ask for protection
[1:09:14]the women here represent hundreds of
[1:09:17]other women who we have spoken to
[1:09:19]many of whom were trafficked from
[1:09:20]other countries from eastern european
[1:09:22]countries where
[1:09:23]women don't have the rights that we
[1:09:25]have here women don't have the
[1:09:27]protections that we have here
[1:09:29]and those women are terrified that
[1:09:31]their names will be released in
[1:09:32]these files
[1:09:33]the government won't know that there
[1:09:35]are victims to redact and protect
[1:09:37]them
[1:09:37]so we ask that you please whoever
[1:09:39]is going to be in charge of
[1:09:40]redacting these files
[1:09:42]and in charge of this transparency do it
[1:09:44]in a way that protects the women brave
[1:09:46]enough to be here
[1:09:47]but also protects the women who are
[1:09:49]terrified that every day when they
[1:09:50]turn the tv on
[1:09:52]something bad is going to happen to
[1:09:53]them in ukraine in russia
[1:09:55]in whatever country they live in
[1:09:56]because no one is listening to them
[1:09:58]there
[1:09:58]so thank you for being here thank
[1:10:00]you for listening and please
[1:10:01]protect these women while we seek
[1:10:03]transparency
[1:10:08]good morning my name is anushka de
[1:10:10]georgio and i stand before you
[1:10:12]today as a survivor of both
[1:10:13]jeffrey epstein and gillian maxwell
[1:10:16]i want to thank congressman massie and
[1:10:19]khana for their role in putting
[1:10:21]together this very very important
[1:10:22]bill
[1:10:24]every day of this journey toward
[1:10:26]healing has come at a profound cost
[1:10:28]to my mental health but i am here
[1:10:32]i chose to come because this bill
[1:10:34]really matters
[1:10:36]i speak today not only in service of
[1:10:39]my own recovery
[1:10:41]from trauma inflicted by maxwell and
[1:10:43]epstein but to honor the lives the
[1:10:44]courage and sacrifices
[1:10:47]of virginia jufray caroline
[1:10:51]andreano
[1:10:53]and others who could not continue
[1:10:56]their voices mattered their stories
[1:10:58]must not be forgotten
[1:11:02]accountability is what makes a
[1:11:04]society civilized
[1:11:06]equal opportunity and equal
[1:11:07]consequence
[1:11:09]for all consequences are not about
[1:11:11]punishment alone
[1:11:13]they exist to deter future harm to
[1:11:15]protect
[1:11:16]vulnerable and to set a standard of
[1:11:18]justice
[1:11:20]if gillian maxwell were pardoned it
[1:11:23]would undermine all the sacrifices i
[1:11:25]made to testify
[1:11:27]and make mockery of mine and all
[1:11:29]survivors suffering
[1:11:32]that is why the epstein files
[1:11:34]transparency act is so essential
[1:11:37]it requires the department of justice
[1:11:39]release all the records related
[1:11:41]to epstein and maxwell
[1:11:42]investigations flight logs
[1:11:44]immunity deals internal communications
[1:11:47]and even the records surrounding
[1:11:49]epstein's detention and death
[1:11:50]and crucially it forbids withholding
[1:11:53]documents simply because of
[1:11:54]embarrassment
[1:11:55]reputational harm or political
[1:11:57]sensitivity
[1:11:59]this is about ending secrecy
[1:12:01]wherever abuse of power takes root
[1:12:04]but transparency alone is not enough
[1:12:07]survivors need protection resources
[1:12:10]and legal support if this
[1:12:13]congress is serious about justice then
[1:12:15]let this moment also affirm your
[1:12:17]commitment to provide victims with the
[1:12:19]legal aid they need to confront
[1:12:21]abusers
[1:12:22]to navigate complex systems and to
[1:12:24]reclaim their power
[1:12:26]transparency must be matched by
[1:12:28]support or else too many victims will
[1:12:30]remain silent out of fear
[1:12:32]and lack of access
[1:12:35]the statistics demand action nearly one
[1:12:37]in five women in america will
[1:12:39]experience rape or attempted rape in
[1:12:41]her lifetime
[1:12:43]every 74 seconds someone is sexually
[1:12:46]assaulted
[1:12:48]every nine minutes that person is a
[1:12:50]child
[1:12:52]these are not numbers they are
[1:12:54]people they are your daughters your
[1:12:56]sons
[1:12:57]your constituents your friends
[1:13:00]statistically one in five of your
[1:13:02]families will face this nightmare
[1:13:07]the days of sweeping this under the
[1:13:09]rug are over
[1:13:11]we the survivors say no more i want to
[1:13:16]help create a world where survivors of
[1:13:18]sexual abuse and abuse of power can
[1:13:20]come forward safely
[1:13:22]and i ask congress to join me in that
[1:13:24]effort
[1:13:25]not only by passing this bill but by
[1:13:27]ensuring that those who step forward
[1:13:30]have legal support to face their
[1:13:31]abusers
[1:13:32]and see justice done when judge
[1:13:38]burman gave epstein survivors the
[1:13:40]chance to finally speak
[1:13:41]the world listened after so many years
[1:13:44]survivors were heard
[1:13:46]that moment was historic and so is this
[1:13:49]moment
[1:13:53]for me the turning point was when i
[1:13:57]had my daughter
[1:13:58]and on the day she was born i knew i
[1:14:01]had a responsibility to protect her
[1:14:03]and to protect all children
[1:14:09]i have to use my voice the voice
[1:14:12]that had been silenced
[1:14:13]by fear and shame for so many years
[1:14:17]make no mistake my polished exterior
[1:14:20]is a shield hiding a wound that still
[1:14:22]bleeds
[1:14:23]but through this wound i have found
[1:14:25]purpose to be part of lasting change
[1:14:30]in how we confront exploitation and
[1:14:32]abuse
[1:14:33]and to be clear the only motive for
[1:14:35]opposing this bill
[1:14:36]would be to conceal wrongdoing you
[1:14:39]have a choice
[1:14:41]stand with the truth or with the
[1:14:43]lies that have protected predators
[1:14:45]for decades
[1:14:49]i am no longer weak i am no longer
[1:14:52]powerless
[1:14:54]and i'm no longer alone and with your
[1:15:00]vote neither will the next generation
[1:15:01]be
[1:15:03]president trump you have so much
[1:15:05]influence and power
[1:15:07]in this situation please use that
[1:15:09]influence and power to help us
[1:15:12]because we need it now and this
[1:15:14]country needs it now
[1:15:15]thank you hello my name is annie
[1:15:26]farmer
[1:15:27]and i was 16 years old when i was
[1:15:29]flown to new mexico to spend a
[1:15:31]weekend with epstein
[1:15:32]and maxwell that same year 1996
[1:15:37]my sister maria farmer reported what
[1:15:39]happened to me there
[1:15:41]along with reporting her own assault
[1:15:43]at their hands
[1:15:44]and their theft of sensitive photos of
[1:15:47]herself
[1:15:48]of me and our younger sister that she
[1:15:50]had taken for her work as a
[1:15:51]figurative painter
[1:15:53]i am now 46 years old 30 years later
[1:15:57]we still do not know why that
[1:15:58]report wasn't properly investigated
[1:16:00]or why epstein and his associates were
[1:16:02]allowed to harm
[1:16:03]hundreds if not thousands of other
[1:16:06]girls and young women
[1:16:07]we have never been told whether those
[1:16:10]images were found when they discovered
[1:16:12]a large amount of child sexual abuse
[1:16:14]material on his property
[1:16:16]as a psychologist i understand that
[1:16:19]when the system's meant to protect
[1:16:20]us
[1:16:21]recreate the abuse cycle the
[1:16:23]betrayal that occurs can be just as
[1:16:25]damaging as the original trauma
[1:16:28]this happens when survivors of these
[1:16:30]crimes are not believed
[1:16:33]when our well-being is not weighed as
[1:16:34]heavily as those who have more
[1:16:36]resources or more privilege
[1:16:39]and when perpetrators of these
[1:16:40]crimes are given a platform
[1:16:42]rather than the survivors of them
[1:16:45]for so many years it felt like
[1:16:47]epstein's criminal behavior
[1:16:49]was an open secret not only did
[1:16:52]many others participate in the abuse
[1:16:54]it is clear
[1:16:55]that many were aware of his
[1:16:57]interest in girls and very young women
[1:16:59]and chose to look the other way
[1:17:01]because it benefited them to do so
[1:17:03]they wanted access to his circle and
[1:17:06]his money
[1:17:07]their choice to align with his power
[1:17:10]left those of us who had been harmed
[1:17:12]by this man and his associates
[1:17:14]feeling very isolated
[1:17:17]i could never have imagined being
[1:17:19]here today
[1:17:20]and this chorus of support that we
[1:17:22]have all received
[1:17:25]i have been sent so many notes and
[1:17:28]messages
[1:17:29]from people with no direct connection to
[1:17:30]this case who've expressed their
[1:17:32]solidarity with us
[1:17:34]and i believe that is because in part
[1:17:35]as anushka so
[1:17:37]explained so well this is a
[1:17:39]extremely widespread issue
[1:17:40]of child sexual abuse of sexual
[1:17:42]exploitation of sexual violence
[1:17:44]this affects almost every family in
[1:17:46]some way
[1:17:51]from my conversations with women in
[1:17:53]these last few days
[1:17:55]and from all of the support that
[1:17:56]we've received is very clear to me
[1:17:58]that we are not going away we are not
[1:18:00]going to be quiet and we are not going
[1:18:02]to give up
[1:18:03]and i ask the american public to stand
[1:18:06]with us and not give up
[1:18:08]at a time with record high levels of
[1:18:10]distrust in our institutions
[1:18:12]and a perception that there are two
[1:18:13]americas one for those with power
[1:18:15]and privilege
[1:18:16]and one for everyone else passing
[1:18:18]this abstain transparency bill is one
[1:18:20]important step
[1:18:21]that can be taken to prove to
[1:18:22]americans that the government
[1:18:24]does not side with sexual
[1:18:26]perpetrators
[1:18:27]a thorough public review of this
[1:18:29]information
[1:18:30]is an important step in presenting in
[1:18:32]preventing the type of systemic
[1:18:34]failures
[1:18:35]that have occurred in this case and
[1:18:37]harmed all of us
[1:18:39]an important step towards healing for
[1:18:41]those involved
[1:18:42]thank you hello everyone i'd like to
[1:18:50]say thank you everyone for being here
[1:18:51]today
[1:18:52]on this very powerful and special day
[1:18:56]for
[1:18:56]all of us here my name is marina
[1:19:01]la serda
[1:19:02]i was minor victim one in federal
[1:19:04]indictment of jeffrey epstein in new
[1:19:05]york in 2019
[1:19:07]i was one of dozen of girls that i
[1:19:09]personally know
[1:19:10]who were forced into jeffrey's mansion
[1:19:13]on nine east 71 street in new york
[1:19:15]city
[1:19:16]when we were just kids today is the
[1:19:19]first time that i ever speak
[1:19:20]publicly
[1:19:21]about what happened to me i never
[1:19:24]thought
[1:19:25]that i would find myself here the
[1:19:28]only reason that i am here
[1:19:29]is because it feels like the people
[1:19:30]who matter in this country
[1:19:32]finally care about what we have to say
[1:19:35]as an immigrant from brazil i feel
[1:19:37]empowered knowing
[1:19:38]that the little girl struggling to get
[1:19:40]by at 14 and 15 years old
[1:19:42]finally has a voice for the first
[1:19:45]time
[1:19:45]i feel like i matter as an american
[1:19:48]i was only 14 years old when i met
[1:19:50]jeffrey
[1:19:52]it was the summer of high school i
[1:19:53]was working three jobs
[1:19:55]to try to support my mom and my
[1:19:57]sister when a friend of mine
[1:19:59]in the neighborhood told me that i
[1:20:01]could make three hundred dollars to
[1:20:02]give
[1:20:03]another guy a massage it went from
[1:20:07]a dream job to the worst nightmare
[1:20:10]jeffrey assistant leslie groff would
[1:20:13]call me and tell me
[1:20:15]that i needed to be at the house so
[1:20:16]often that i ended up dropping out
[1:20:18]of high school
[1:20:19]before ninth grade and i never went
[1:20:22]back
[1:20:23]from 14 to 17 years old i went and
[1:20:26]worked for jeffrey
[1:20:28]instead of receiving an education every
[1:20:30]day i hoped that
[1:20:31]he would offer me a real job as one of
[1:20:34]his assistant
[1:20:35]or something something important i would
[1:20:40]finally have made it big
[1:20:42]as like we say the american dream
[1:20:46]that day never came i had no way
[1:20:49]i had no way out i was um until he
[1:20:52]finally told me that i was too old
[1:20:55]there are many pieces of my story
[1:20:57]that i can't remember no matter how
[1:20:58]hard i try
[1:21:00]the constant state of wonder causes me
[1:21:02]so much fear and so much confusion my
[1:21:06]therapist says that my brain is just
[1:21:07]trying to protect itself
[1:21:09]but it's so hard to begin to heal
[1:21:11]knowing
[1:21:13]that there are people out there who
[1:21:15]know more about my abuse
[1:21:17]than i do the worst part is that
[1:21:21]the government is still in possession
[1:21:22]right now
[1:21:30]of the documents and information about
[1:21:33]that that could help me remember and
[1:21:36]get over all of this maybe
[1:21:38]and help me heal they have documents
[1:21:41]with my name on them
[1:21:42]that were confiscated from jeffrey
[1:21:44]epstein's house and could help me put
[1:21:46]the pieces of my own life back
[1:21:47]together
[1:21:49]but i don't have any of it and i
[1:21:51]know the same is true for
[1:21:53]many of these women um we are here to
[1:22:01]support this bill today
[1:22:03]not only for transparency but for the
[1:22:06]american people
[1:22:09]but if the government is going to miss
[1:22:13]the public
[1:22:14]describing the crimes committed by
[1:22:17]jeffrey epstein and others
[1:22:19]the least they can do is give me my
[1:22:20]documents that they have about me
[1:22:23]the other survivors deserve the same
[1:22:25]respect
[1:22:26]from our government while identifying
[1:22:29]information
[1:22:30]must be redacted to the public it
[1:22:33]is equally important to provide the
[1:22:34]victims themselves
[1:22:36]with unredacted information i will
[1:22:39]never forget when the fbi
[1:22:41]agent showed up in my door in 2008
[1:22:44]jeffrey epstein hired a lawyer to
[1:22:46]represent me
[1:22:47]or more like to represent him i like
[1:22:49]to say i couldn't ask any questions
[1:22:52]and i had no idea what was going on
[1:22:54]i was terrified until today
[1:22:58]i think most of us are still
[1:22:59]terrified
[1:23:01]i thought somebody was going to kill me
[1:23:04]i thought something was going to
[1:23:05]happen to my sister or my mother
[1:23:07]it went further out to even maybe
[1:23:09]thinking something would happen in
[1:23:10]brazil
[1:23:11]with my family and then one day
[1:23:16]the lawyer said that everything was
[1:23:17]just going to go away
[1:23:19]like nothing happened i didn't need to
[1:23:22]testify
[1:23:23]when i asked him why he gave no
[1:23:25]explanation
[1:23:27]that was it so why why was i never
[1:23:31]called to testify then
[1:23:33]we could have saved so many women we
[1:23:35]could have saved
[1:23:36]so many lives from being abused
[1:23:41]why did he get away with it in 2008
[1:23:45]why was he able to go on in the
[1:23:46]abuse with
[1:23:47]hundreds of girls after the florid
[1:23:49]investigation
[1:23:51]why didn't they let me testify to
[1:23:53]help
[1:23:54]stop him our government couldn't have
[1:23:57]saved could have saved so many
[1:23:58]women
[1:23:59]but jeffrey epstein was too
[1:24:00]important and those women didn't matter
[1:24:03]why
[1:24:05]well we matter now we are here today
[1:24:09]and we are speaking and we are not
[1:24:11]going to stop speaking
[1:24:14]today i stand here with the women
[1:24:19]who have really helped me to find the
[1:24:22]strength to come out
[1:24:24]and come forward to share my story for
[1:24:26]the very first time
[1:24:28]together we are stronger than ever
[1:24:31]while she may not be with us
[1:24:34]virginia roberts we will continue to
[1:24:37]use our voices
[1:24:38]to strengthen yours always
[1:24:41]thank you hi my name is cortney wild
[1:24:54]i just wanted to take a second and
[1:24:57]just have a moment of silence for
[1:24:58]all the women survivors that aren't
[1:25:01]here with us today
[1:25:02]that passed away due to anxiety
[1:25:04]depression
[1:25:05]trying to keep up with this case
[1:25:09]a moment of silence please thank
[1:25:16]you
[1:25:17]my name is cortney wild i was only 14
[1:25:19]years old when i was introduced to
[1:25:21]jeffrey epstein
[1:25:22]by a 13 year old friend of mine the
[1:25:25]details of the abuse that he
[1:25:26]inflicted on me for years is not
[1:25:28]important today
[1:25:30]in 2028 i was cooperating with the
[1:25:32]federal government
[1:25:33]government and the investigation of
[1:25:36]jeffrey epstein
[1:25:37]they sent me a letter telling me to
[1:25:39]be patient
[1:25:40]because this was going to be a
[1:25:42]lengthy investigation
[1:25:44]but at the same time they refuse to
[1:25:46]talk to me and tell me what was going
[1:25:48]on
[1:25:48]so i hired an attorney brad edwards
[1:25:51]because i was hopeful to get some
[1:25:53]answers
[1:25:54]when i walked into his office at 19
[1:25:56]years old brad sued the government for
[1:25:58]refusing to tell me what was going on
[1:26:00]under the crime victims rights act
[1:26:02]the only reason anyone ever found out
[1:26:05]that the government had already given
[1:26:06]jeffrey epstein immunity through
[1:26:08]the non-prosecution agreement was
[1:26:10]because our lawsuit
[1:26:12]forced the government to tell us
[1:26:15]otherwise nobody would even know that
[1:26:17]today
[1:26:18]sometimes it's hard to believe that i
[1:26:20]had to sue the united states
[1:26:23]just to learn that my abuser was given
[1:26:25]immunity
[1:26:26]i started as jane doe but i decided to
[1:26:29]i was proud enough to take on our
[1:26:31]country
[1:26:32]and i was on the right side of
[1:26:33]history
[1:26:35]we fought the government for 10 years
[1:26:37]to prove that the government
[1:26:38]violated our rights as crime victims
[1:26:40]and the crime victims rights in order
[1:26:42]to protect a
[1:26:43]pedophile we had to win the 11th
[1:26:46]circuit court appeals to force the
[1:26:48]government to turn over thousands of
[1:26:50]pages
[1:26:50]of emails between jeffrey epstein and
[1:26:53]the government
[1:26:54]those emails provided the proof of
[1:26:57]proof that the government worked
[1:26:58]very hard with jeffrey epstein to
[1:27:00]violate our rights
[1:27:02]why why did the government
[1:27:06]work so hard to protect jeffrey and
[1:27:08]not so hard to protect me
[1:27:10]and my other innocent friends
[1:27:13]why was jeffrey so important to the
[1:27:15]government and why was i so
[1:27:17]insignificant why did nobody but our
[1:27:20]lawyers care before now
[1:27:22]it seems people have only started to
[1:27:24]care because of twitter and politics
[1:27:28]but i would like to say this has
[1:27:29]nothing to do with politics this is
[1:27:31]not a blue
[1:27:32]thing or a red thing this isn't
[1:27:33]every one thing we can all agree on
[1:27:36]this
[1:27:37]the injustice that has happened here
[1:27:40]multiple
[1:27:41]over and over everybody that talks about
[1:27:43]this
[1:27:44]just seems to make it worse we need
[1:27:47]transparency
[1:27:50]it's time for us to see beyond the
[1:27:52]curtain why was jeffrey epstein so
[1:27:54]protected
[1:27:55]who is still being protected and who
[1:27:58]protected them all
[1:27:59]so the world can understand how
[1:28:01]jeffrey was able to abuse so many
[1:28:02]of us for so long
[1:28:04]i was lucky to have brad edwards
[1:28:06]britney henderson and paul cassel
[1:28:09]take on my case pro bono and fight
[1:28:11]fearlessly
[1:28:12]over 20 years time
[1:28:16]i would like to thank them and i'd also
[1:28:18]like to ask the trump administration to
[1:28:20]please sign off on
[1:28:22]the crime victims rights reformed act
[1:28:24]the cortney wild
[1:28:26]crime victims rights reformed act
[1:28:28]that's um we're trying to get past
[1:28:30]here so we can close the loopholes
[1:28:32]in the cvr a case
[1:28:33]that epstein's attorney uh used to
[1:28:36]their benefit to get
[1:28:38]to get away with this thank you so much
[1:29:01]good morning uh first and foremost we
[1:29:04]want to extend our deepest gratitude
[1:29:06]to brad and britney edwards
[1:29:08]congressman massie and kana
[1:29:12]and above all the brave survivors who
[1:29:14]have entrusted us
[1:29:15]with the privilege of speaking today
[1:29:17]on behalf of virginia
[1:29:19]auberge jeffrey as her family
[1:29:25]we are here today because we support
[1:29:27]h.rez.581 the epstein files
[1:29:30]transparency act
[1:29:32]in its entirety but as much as this
[1:29:35]bill is about shining a light on truth
[1:29:38]it's not just about the bill this is
[1:29:41]about justice
[1:29:42]this is about survivors this is about
[1:29:45]justice against the rich and powerful
[1:29:47]who have stolen something from these
[1:29:48]women
[1:29:50]and many children at the time their
[1:29:52]freedom
[1:29:54]the freedom to live their life
[1:29:55]without mental and physical scars that
[1:29:57]have been inflicted upon them
[1:29:59]by those who thought they were
[1:30:00]untouchable
[1:30:02]the same freedom that these monsters
[1:30:04]took from these survivors
[1:30:05]they should never be afforded they
[1:30:08]should never be allowed to
[1:30:09]continue their lives with impunity
[1:30:13]let's be clear this is not a
[1:30:16]political issue
[1:30:17]this is not about left or right this
[1:30:20]is about humanity
[1:30:22]this is about doing what's right and
[1:30:24]this is about ensuring that the
[1:30:25]future we leave behind
[1:30:27]isn't one where the powerful can hide
[1:30:29]behind their wealth
[1:30:30]their influence and their money to
[1:30:32]evade justice
[1:30:34]i plead to you whether you're a dad
[1:30:37]a mom
[1:30:38]a brother or a sister look your young
[1:30:41]ones in the face
[1:30:42]look them in the eye
[1:30:45]and tell them you didn't stand
[1:30:47]against the very people
[1:30:49]who raped molested and preyed upon
[1:30:52]children
[1:30:52]and young women tell them you were
[1:30:55]willing to negotiate a deal
[1:30:58]money should never be what makes
[1:31:00]something right or wrong
[1:31:02]if you vote no your stance will be
[1:31:04]clear
[1:31:05]you will be choosing to stand on the
[1:31:07]side of the rich and powerful
[1:31:09]allowing money to buy your way out of
[1:31:10]the consequence
[1:31:12]but here's my one ask look these
[1:31:15]survivors in the eye
[1:31:16]and tell them why then look the
[1:31:19]people of the united states in the
[1:31:21]and tell them why and then when you're
[1:31:24]alone
[1:31:25]look yourself in the mirror and ask
[1:31:27]yourself
[1:31:28]why virginia said it best and i quote
[1:31:32]i have physical and mental scars that
[1:31:34]will never heal
[1:31:36]i have memories that will never go
[1:31:37]away they say time can heal
[1:31:40]but this won't not until the justice
[1:31:43]system makes an example out of these
[1:31:44]people with so-called privileges
[1:31:47]i just call it money the only time i
[1:31:50]can begin to heal
[1:31:51]is when their freedom is taken from them
[1:31:54]just like they did to me
[1:31:55]and literally thousands of other victims
[1:31:58]the survivors of this horrific abuse
[1:32:00]are watching
[1:32:01]the american people are watching and
[1:32:04]history is watching
[1:32:06]which side will you be on thank you
[1:32:21]my name is jenna lisa jones and i
[1:32:24]was only 14 years old
[1:32:25]when my friend brought me over to
[1:32:28]jeffrey epstein's house in palm
[1:32:30]beach
[1:32:30]in 2003 i had a terrible home life
[1:32:35]but i was such an innocent kid then
[1:32:38]i always did my best in school and i
[1:32:40]had such a positive outlook on life
[1:32:43]until that day that i met jeffrey i
[1:32:46]have never been more scared in my
[1:32:47]life
[1:32:48]than i was that first time that he
[1:32:50]hurt me i remember crying the entire
[1:32:53]way home thinking about how i couldn't
[1:32:55]ever tell
[1:32:56]anyone about what actually happened
[1:33:00]in that house this guy was so rich
[1:33:03]and had so many pictures with so many
[1:33:04]famous people and no one would have
[1:33:06]ever believed me if i told them
[1:33:10]i want to thank congressman roe and
[1:33:12]congressman thomas massie for
[1:33:14]having me here today it was really
[1:33:16]hard for me to find my voice and to
[1:33:18]become strong enough
[1:33:19]to speak about my abuse i didn't
[1:33:22]come forward until
[1:33:25]2019 and even when
[1:33:30]and even then it was like i was afraid
[1:33:32]of a ghost
[1:33:35]i know that i was just a little kid
[1:33:38]but sometimes i still feel like it is
[1:33:40]my fault that this happened
[1:33:42]being given the opportunity to speak
[1:33:44]at the united states capital building
[1:33:45]about something that is so important
[1:33:47]not just to me and the women before
[1:33:49]you but to
[1:33:50]the entire country together we can
[1:33:55]finally make a change
[1:33:57]and that is thanks to the people
[1:34:00]like these two congressmen and their
[1:34:03]teams who actually care about the
[1:34:04]victims
[1:34:05]if you are a member of congress and
[1:34:07]you are listening to all of us speak
[1:34:08]here today
[1:34:09]please really listen to us please vote
[1:34:12]for this bill to be passed
[1:34:14]please recognize how important it is
[1:34:16]for transparency
[1:34:18]relating to jeffrey epstein whether
[1:34:20]you are a democrat or a republican
[1:34:22]this does not matter
[1:34:24]this is not about sides you are an
[1:34:27]american and you are a person who
[1:34:29]has chosen to serve in an elected
[1:34:31]position
[1:34:31]to stand up for those you represent who
[1:34:33]cannot always stand up for themselves
[1:34:36]we are those people we are the
[1:34:38]americans
[1:34:39]that you promised to protect and you
[1:34:42]and we need your help please
[1:34:46]president trump pass this bill and
[1:34:49]help us
[1:34:50]make us feel like our voices are
[1:34:52]finally being heard
[1:34:55]thank you good afternoon my name is
[1:35:13]hailey robson
[1:35:16]i was a 16 year old high school
[1:35:18]student athlete who made good grades
[1:35:20]and had high aspirations for college
[1:35:22]when i was recruited and asked by a
[1:35:24]classmate of mine alongside with a
[1:35:25]20 year old male if i wanted to give
[1:35:27]an old rich guy a massage
[1:35:30]but what high school girl would not
[1:35:31]want to do that that day changed my
[1:35:33]life forever
[1:35:34]and when i got into the massage
[1:35:35]room jeffrey epstein
[1:35:39]undressed and asked me to do things
[1:35:44]to him my eyes welled up with tears
[1:35:47]and i have never been more scared in
[1:35:49]my life
[1:35:50]when it was over he made he paid me
[1:35:52]two hundred dollars
[1:35:53]and requested an exchange that i bring
[1:35:57]a girl each time to make another two
[1:35:59]hundred dollars
[1:36:00]i told him i did not want to do that
[1:36:02]and then he gave me an ultimatum
[1:36:03]either you come here and massage me
[1:36:05]when i call you or you bring me
[1:36:06]friends of yours to massage
[1:36:07]and i will give you 200 per girl for
[1:36:09]each time she comes
[1:36:11]i felt and hoped to never hear from
[1:36:13]him again but he called me every
[1:36:14]day
[1:36:15]he was so wealthy and powerful and he
[1:36:17]would not let me go
[1:36:18]i felt i had no choice if i disobeyed
[1:36:21]him i knew something bad would happen
[1:36:23]so knowing i did not want to be
[1:36:25]sexually abused
[1:36:26]i'm sorry i started to bring him other
[1:36:29]girls from my high school
[1:36:31]and he paid me two hundred dollars
[1:36:33]two hundred dollars for bringing them
[1:36:35]i just hoped each time it would be
[1:36:36]the last time
[1:36:38]one day the stepmom of one of the
[1:36:39]girls brought him and called the
[1:36:41]police on jeffrey epstein
[1:36:42]the police then called me called me
[1:36:45]in for questioning
[1:36:47]i had told them the truth despite the
[1:36:48]fact that i was a teenager and a minor
[1:36:50]and i was able to tell the police the
[1:36:52]names of all the other victims
[1:36:55]the police treated me like a criminal
[1:36:57]i had by this time had turned 18
[1:37:00]i had been with jeffrey since i was
[1:37:01]16 and for two years
[1:37:03]so they had told me i distribute
[1:37:06]i distributed to the so they told me
[1:37:09]i was going to be arrested
[1:37:10]my name was then distributed to the
[1:37:12]press as a co-conspirator of my
[1:37:14]abuser who i detested
[1:37:16]my entire world was crashing in around
[1:37:18]me and i started being threatened and
[1:37:20]bullied till this day still receiving
[1:37:22]death threats
[1:37:24]i was singled out and for many years
[1:37:26]had to suffer a smear campaign
[1:37:28]of lies about me because of the way
[1:37:30]that i was portrayed by the press
[1:37:36]the press made me out to be a
[1:37:38]predator when i was just a 16 year
[1:37:39]old little girl who was sexually
[1:37:41]abused by a powerful man and an evil
[1:37:43]man
[1:37:43]for years i had no friends my
[1:37:46]boyfriend was murdered
[1:37:47]and there was nowhere to turn the
[1:37:49]government after
[1:37:50]investigating more learned that i was
[1:37:52]truly victim
[1:37:53]but the damage was done and it was
[1:37:55]too late there was no way to undo the
[1:37:57]harm the press had caused me
[1:38:00]in 2019 i met brad and britney and i
[1:38:02]met brad edwards and britney
[1:38:04]henderson
[1:38:08]they changed my life and they
[1:38:10]believed in me and have helped me
[1:38:11]to finally heal
[1:38:12]healing is a process and i may never
[1:38:14]get there
[1:38:17]but the passage of this bill
[1:38:18]requiring the government to produce
[1:38:20]all the evidence that it has gathered
[1:38:22]on jeffrey epstein galaine maxwell
[1:38:24]is a huge component of healing for me
[1:38:26]and for the many other women who have
[1:38:28]suffered for so long
[1:38:30]for many reasons first we and the
[1:38:32]rest of the world need answers
[1:38:34]why was he so protected and why
[1:38:37]didn't anyone ever care to stop him
[1:38:40]it doesn't take a brain surgeon to
[1:38:41]know that if he is spending
[1:38:43]thousands of dollars a day paying high
[1:38:45]school girls he abuses
[1:38:47]and other access to and had a lot
[1:38:48]of access to cash
[1:38:50]i learned through my attorneys and the
[1:38:52]jpm
[1:38:53]jp morgan class action case that there
[1:38:55]were years when his staff withdrew
[1:38:57]over a million dollars in cash a year
[1:39:03]was that not a big enough red flag
[1:39:06]there were ryer transfers to other
[1:39:07]victims and the governor
[1:39:09]and the government did not protect
[1:39:10]us the banks did not protect us
[1:39:13]so lift the curtain on these files
[1:39:16]and be transparent
[1:39:19]every single time a new conspiracy gets
[1:39:21]circulated in the media
[1:39:23]whether he is still alive what powerful
[1:39:25]person
[1:39:26]had him murdered who was on the
[1:39:28]epstein client list and there are
[1:39:30]names going around on tiktok and
[1:39:31]instagram
[1:39:32]we the survivors are suffering
[1:39:34]severely
[1:39:36]we take our kids to school and
[1:39:38]everyone is talking about it
[1:39:40]we can't read the news or do
[1:39:41]anything without hearing crazy stories
[1:39:43]that are
[1:39:43]only able to live on because the
[1:39:45]government continues to hide the
[1:39:46]evidence and the truth
[1:39:48]so people just make up stories those
[1:39:50]stories hurt
[1:39:51]they hurt real people real people who
[1:39:54]have already been hurt
[1:39:55]and we have lost so many epstein
[1:39:57]victims to suicide and maintaining the
[1:39:59]real truth
[1:40:00]and secrecy only allows for
[1:40:01]conspiracy theorists
[1:40:02]to tell lies that drives up our
[1:40:04]anxiety and fears and will continue to
[1:40:06]lead
[1:40:07]to more pain more suffering
[1:40:10]and honestly more deaths of innocent
[1:40:12]victims
[1:40:13]it's time you do is right by us
[1:40:15]unseal all the documents
[1:40:17]we are requesting transparency and i
[1:40:20]am requesting every congressman and
[1:40:22]woman
[1:40:23]that goes against this bill be outed
[1:40:26]i want to know thank you
[1:40:42]hi there my name is lisa philips and
[1:40:44]i'm the host
[1:40:45]of award-nominated podcast called from
[1:40:48]now on
[1:40:49]a platform supporting survivors
[1:40:53]i want to thank all of my survivor
[1:40:54]sisters who came before me today
[1:40:57]i'll be very short in the year 2000
[1:41:00]i was taken to jeffrey epstein's island
[1:41:02]while on a photo shoot on a nearby
[1:41:04]island
[1:41:06]who i saw and what i experienced
[1:41:08]there
[1:41:09]was a was a glimpse into a very dark
[1:41:12]and disturbing world
[1:41:14]for years after i tried to avoid
[1:41:16]jeffrey
[1:41:18]but he had introduced me to katie
[1:41:19]ford the owner of the ford modeling
[1:41:22]agency
[1:41:24]epstein's reach went to the very top
[1:41:26]of fashion
[1:41:26]arts and entertainment this did not
[1:41:29]just happen to underage girls in
[1:41:31]florida
[1:41:32]in new york city hundreds of young
[1:41:35]ambitious women were abused by him
[1:41:37]epstein was not just a serial predator
[1:41:40]he was an international human
[1:41:42]trafficker
[1:41:44]and many around him knew many
[1:41:45]participated
[1:41:47]and many profited and yet he was
[1:41:50]protected
[1:41:52]so i stand here today for every woman
[1:41:55]who has been silenced
[1:41:56]exploited and dismissed we are not
[1:41:59]asking for pity we are here demanding
[1:42:02]accountability
[1:42:04]and i'm demanding justice congress
[1:42:07]must choose
[1:42:09]will you continue to protect predators
[1:42:10]or will you finally protect
[1:42:12]survivors
[1:42:14]and also i would like to announce here
[1:42:17]today
[1:42:18]us epstein survivors have been
[1:42:20]discussing creating our own list
[1:42:23]we know the names many of us were abused
[1:42:26]by them
[1:42:27]now together as survivors we will
[1:42:29]confidentially compile
[1:42:31]the names we all know
[1:42:34]who regularly in who are regularly in
[1:42:37]the epstein world
[1:42:39]and it will be done by survivors and
[1:42:41]four survivors
[1:42:43]no one else is involved stay tuned
[1:42:45]for more details
[1:43:00]hello my name is shantay davies and
[1:43:03]i'm here before you today as a
[1:43:04]survivor
[1:43:06]a survivor of decades of pain the trauma
[1:43:08]and betrayal at the hands of gilain
[1:43:10]maxwell and jeffrey epstein
[1:43:12]and the people who enabled them and a
[1:43:14]government that for far too long
[1:43:16]refused to help
[1:43:18]in 2002 i was living in california a
[1:43:20]young woman with high aspirations of
[1:43:22]becoming an actress i was already
[1:43:23]beginning to make a name for myself
[1:43:24]in the industry
[1:43:26]a person i trusted someone i thought
[1:43:27]was a friend invited me to meet a
[1:43:29]powerful woman
[1:43:30]who could help advance my career that
[1:43:32]woman happened to be gilain maxwell
[1:43:35]i was asked to give her a massage though
[1:43:37]i had almost no experience
[1:43:39]and when i did she praised me and
[1:43:40]promised introductions to someone
[1:43:42]enormously powerful
[1:43:44]someone who could change the course of
[1:43:45]my life and that man was jeffrey
[1:43:46]epstein
[1:43:48]at first i was an excited young woman
[1:43:50]on top of the world
[1:43:51]epstein flew me to his private
[1:43:52]island he listened to my dreams
[1:43:54]promised to help
[1:43:55]but his promises came with a catch
[1:43:58]the abuse began he told me to keep
[1:44:00]it secret
[1:44:01]he manipulated me with with quid pro
[1:44:04]quo i did not consent to but i felt i
[1:44:06]had no one to turn to
[1:44:07]he was too powerful i was just one of
[1:44:10]the many young women trapped in his
[1:44:11]orbit i was even taken on a trip to
[1:44:13]africa with
[1:44:14]former president bill clinton and other
[1:44:16]notable figures
[1:44:18]in those moments i realized how
[1:44:19]powerless i was
[1:44:20]if i spoke out who would believe me
[1:44:23]who would protect me
[1:44:25]epstein herself himself was the most
[1:44:27]powerful leader of our country
[1:44:29]epstein surrounded himself i'm sorry
[1:44:30]with the most powerful leaders of our
[1:44:32]country and the world
[1:44:34]he abused not only me but countless
[1:44:36]others and everyone seemed to look
[1:44:37]away
[1:44:38]the truth is epstein had a free pass
[1:44:41]he bragged about his powerful friends
[1:44:42]including our current president donald
[1:44:44]trump
[1:44:46]it was his biggest brag actually
[1:44:50]and while i what i endured will haunt
[1:44:52]me forever
[1:44:54]i live every day with ptsd i live
[1:44:57]as a mother trying to raise my child
[1:44:58]while distrusting a world that has
[1:45:00]betrayed me
[1:45:01]this kind of trauma never leaves you it
[1:45:03]breaks families apart
[1:45:04]it shapes the way we see everyone
[1:45:06]around us
[1:45:08]but one thing is certain unless we
[1:45:09]learn from this history monsters like
[1:45:11]epstein will rise again
[1:45:14]there are files government files that
[1:45:16]hold the truth about epstein
[1:45:17]who he knew who owed him who
[1:45:20]protected him and why he was allowed
[1:45:21]to operate
[1:45:22]for so long without consequence why
[1:45:25]was maxwell the only one held
[1:45:26]accountable when so many others
[1:45:28]played a role
[1:45:29]why does the government hide this
[1:45:30]information from the public
[1:45:34]this secrecy is not protection it's
[1:45:36]complicity
[1:45:38]and as long as the truth is buried
[1:45:39]justice will remain
[1:45:40]out of reach that is why this bill
[1:45:43]matters passing it will
[1:45:45]bless you endure ensure that the
[1:45:48]suffering of survivors is not in
[1:45:49]vain
[1:45:50]passing it will bring accountability
[1:45:52]transparency and prevention it will
[1:45:54]help protect the next generation of
[1:45:56]predators
[1:45:57]who seek to place themselves above
[1:45:58]the law through wealth
[1:46:00]influence and connections this is not
[1:46:03]just my story
[1:46:04]it is about every survivor who carries
[1:46:06]invisible scars
[1:46:07]it's about the weight we live with
[1:46:08]daily it is about the family's broken
[1:46:11]and the future stolen
[1:46:14]so i ask you president trump
[1:46:17]and members of congress why do we
[1:46:20]continue to cover up sexual abuse and
[1:46:22]assault
[1:46:23]who are we covering for let the
[1:46:26]public know the truth
[1:46:28]we cannot heal without justice we
[1:46:30]cannot protect the future if we refuse
[1:46:32]to confront the past
[1:46:34]thank you just give a round of applause
[1:46:42]for all the correct courage
[1:46:44]and strength that the survivors have
[1:46:46]done
[1:46:50]we now will take a few questions you
[1:46:53]can always
[1:46:54]get congressman massey me or
[1:46:57]congressman green
[1:46:58]in the hallways and other places if
[1:47:00]you have questions for us that's fine
[1:47:02]but i wanted to see first if you
[1:47:03]have questions for
[1:47:05]the lawyers and the survivors and brad
[1:47:07]will facilitate
[1:47:09]any of the questions to the survivors
[1:47:11]yes
[1:47:13]this question would be for the
[1:47:14]survivors
[1:47:30]i'll answer that um
[1:47:33]mr president donald j trump i am a
[1:47:35]registered republican not that that
[1:47:37]matters because this is not political
[1:47:39]however i cordially invite you to the
[1:47:41]capital to meet me in person so you
[1:47:42]can understand this is not a hoax
[1:47:44]we are real human beings this is real
[1:47:46]trauma
[1:47:52]it's being gutted from the inside
[1:47:54]out not that i would know what that
[1:47:56]feels like but i imagine
[1:47:57]it's the anxiety build up with the
[1:48:00]depression
[1:48:01]and the survival mode and then your
[1:48:03]nervous system goes limp and
[1:48:05]ironically is shot and it feels like
[1:48:08]you just want to explode inside
[1:48:09]because nobody again is understanding
[1:48:11]that this is a real situation these
[1:48:14]women are real we're here in person
[1:48:17]to say that it's a hoax is just not
[1:48:20]please humanize us i i would like
[1:48:22]donald j trump and every person in
[1:48:24]america and around the world to
[1:48:26]humanize us
[1:48:27]to see us for who we are and to
[1:48:29]hear us for what we have to say
[1:48:31]there is no hoax the abuse was real
[1:48:33]now what goes on behind closed doors i
[1:48:35]can't speak for that
[1:48:37]what happens around the world
[1:48:38]politically i cannot speak for that
[1:48:40]but i am here with all of these
[1:48:42]women including our attorneys
[1:48:44]and i would be more than happy to
[1:48:45]meet with him and i will meet him
[1:48:47]halfway
[1:48:51]if any of the victims could respond
[1:48:53]to the news from recently about
[1:48:55]glane maxwell being transferred to a
[1:48:57]lower security prison
[1:48:59]can be after that one
[1:49:05]i'm happy to speak to that uh we were
[1:49:09]horrified
[1:49:09]to learn that she had been transferred
[1:49:12]to a prison camp
[1:49:13]um she is someone who was
[1:49:17]found guilty by a jury of sex
[1:49:19]trafficking
[1:49:20]she not only we often hear that she
[1:49:23]procured women
[1:49:24]for jeffrey which i think is a
[1:49:25]very sort of polite and minimizing
[1:49:27]term
[1:49:27]she also participated in the abuse she
[1:49:30]she
[1:49:30]was a major architect of the scheme and
[1:49:33]the fact that she's painted herself as
[1:49:34]a victim i think is is disgusting and
[1:49:36]it was horrifying
[1:49:38]i think to us that we were not told
[1:49:40]about her prison transfer we found out
[1:49:42]about it in the news
[1:49:45]one minute i think anusha maybe so um
[1:49:48]anushka de georgio uh i testified
[1:49:51]alongside
[1:49:52]annie at the trial of gillian
[1:49:54]maxwell
[1:49:55]i was horrified when i found out
[1:49:59]not only had gillian maxwell been
[1:50:01]transferred to
[1:50:03]what's called a you know a low
[1:50:05]security it's it's really is like a
[1:50:07]like a holiday camp and uh and then
[1:50:10]afterwards i got a notification from
[1:50:13]the department of justice telling me
[1:50:14]that this was going to happen
[1:50:16]when it had already happened this
[1:50:19]woman
[1:50:22]abused children i was abused by
[1:50:36]jeffrey epstein and gillian maxwell
[1:50:38]for over 10 years gillian maxwell was
[1:50:40]present
[1:50:41]for some of my abuse at the hand of
[1:50:43]jeffrey epstein
[1:50:44]she was present she was complicit she
[1:50:46]was enabling
[1:50:48]and it is appalling and disgusting
[1:50:50]and it's one of my worst nightmares
[1:50:53]that she not only be transferred but
[1:50:56]the possibility that's very much going
[1:50:58]around that she might be pardoned
[1:51:00]this is not okay guys this is not
[1:51:02]okay and i just want to add that i
[1:51:03]think it sends a very dangerous
[1:51:04]message
[1:51:05]um to to our country to the young
[1:51:07]people in our country that someone
[1:51:09]that we all know is aware of these
[1:51:10]crimes could be given a pass
[1:51:12]just for the last one the last
[1:51:13]survivor who just told people
[1:51:16]the last survivor who just spoke she
[1:51:17]said that that epstein would
[1:51:19]would brag about her relationship with
[1:51:21]donald trump uh can she please
[1:51:22]elaborate about that
[1:51:25]the microphone uh yeah i i i did say
[1:51:29]that
[1:51:42]my first trip to the palm beach
[1:51:44]residence um i drove there from the
[1:51:46]airport with gillian maxwell
[1:51:49]and they jeffrey and gillian were
[1:51:52]always very boastful about their
[1:51:54]friends their famous or powerful
[1:51:56]friends and his biggest brag forever
[1:52:00]was that he was very good friends with
[1:52:01]donald trump he had an eight by tim
[1:52:03]framed picture of him on his desk
[1:52:05]with the two of them like they were
[1:52:07]very close
[1:52:10]go ahead or what what one second one
[1:52:15]second so lisa what what's your
[1:52:26]envision here
[1:52:34]we're reaching out to survivors that
[1:52:36]are scared to come forward
[1:52:37]and that also know who they were
[1:52:39]trafficked to so that's the list that
[1:52:41]we're compiling we're not quite sure
[1:52:43]you know how we're going to release
[1:52:45]that or even if we're going to
[1:52:47]the department of justice needs to
[1:52:48]release the list
[1:53:00]why do we have to say the names
[1:53:01]when the government knows the names
[1:53:03]and and we're also scared to do so
[1:53:05]look what's happened to so many of
[1:53:06]the survivors that have revealed
[1:53:08]names
[1:53:10]i think it's also worth saying that
[1:53:12]having represented i think between
[1:53:14]our firm and boys schiller
[1:53:16]hundreds of victims and we've talked to
[1:53:18]them about the various people that they
[1:53:19]were farmed out to
[1:53:20]so we've created somewhat of a list
[1:53:23]most of these individuals the victims
[1:53:26]are very scared to say these names
[1:53:28]because they could get sued they're
[1:53:30]going to get attacked
[1:53:31]and nobody protected them the first
[1:53:32]time and that was against one person
[1:53:34]so is there a list there is a list
[1:53:37]but just to dispel kind of the
[1:53:38]common theme here
[1:53:40]every one of these women was abused
[1:53:42]by jeffrey epstein and his scheme was
[1:53:44]to personally abuse women
[1:53:46]when they reached a certain age he did
[1:53:48]farm a
[1:53:49]section of them some of them out to
[1:53:52]some of his friends that doesn't
[1:53:53]mean all of his friends
[1:53:55]with that said i'm more than happy
[1:53:58]to assist in helping create the list
[1:54:00]behind the scenes
[1:54:00]and see what we do with it
[1:54:04]go ahead hold on hold on i think if
[1:54:05]someone's interested in prosecuting
[1:54:07]they may have something different to
[1:54:08]say about sharing a list but they're
[1:54:10]not sharing a list for nothing to
[1:54:11]happen
[1:54:12]and that's the experience that
[1:54:13]they've had for all of these years
[1:54:16]speaker and others have said that the
[1:54:23]people he met with yesterday had
[1:54:25]concerns about your names being
[1:54:27]released if this bill were passed
[1:54:29]and some people i talked to today
[1:54:31]are not signing the discharge
[1:54:32]petition
[1:54:32]because they say you don't want them
[1:54:34]to can you clarify if that is
[1:54:37]do any of the survivors here not
[1:54:39]want the bill to pass
[1:54:41]first of all first of all our
[1:54:43]legislation
[1:54:44]wrote kana and i went through this we
[1:54:46]talked about this and we were very
[1:54:48]careful to make sure
[1:54:50]that there is an exception so that
[1:54:51]personally identifiable information
[1:54:53]not just their names but anything they
[1:54:55]could be identified by
[1:54:56]would not be disclosed i think all of
[1:55:01]them are on the same page they want
[1:55:03]everything released
[1:55:06]yes unequivocally redact
[1:55:09]personally identifying information and
[1:55:10]release everything else
[1:55:14]okay
[1:55:31]well it is not okay for us to be
[1:55:36]silenced
[1:55:36]and it's not okay for jeffrey epstein
[1:55:39]and everybody else to be put on a
[1:55:41]pedestal
[1:55:43]i think everybody needs to hear from
[1:55:45]us because we know
[1:55:46]what went on right and there is not only
[1:55:48]me who's been silenced there are
[1:55:50]hundreds of women that are silenced
[1:55:52]my hope is to stop this abuse for the
[1:55:56]future
[1:55:56]right for people that are coming up
[1:55:58]for women
[1:56:00]my daughter for example these people
[1:56:02]have these women have daughters they
[1:56:04]they most definitely don't want that
[1:56:05]anymore
[1:56:06]and um i think mainly it is
[1:56:10]it is this is therapy for all of us
[1:56:12]too
[1:56:13]you know we want to be heard nobody
[1:56:16]also has never asked me to speak that's
[1:56:18]also another thing
[1:56:20]so i can say for all of us here we
[1:56:23]are here we want this bill to pass it
[1:56:25]is very important
[1:56:26]okay and we need transparency we are
[1:56:27]tired of looking at the news
[1:56:29]and seeing jeffrey epstein's name and
[1:56:31]saying that this is a hoax we
[1:56:33]are tired of it we are done we are
[1:56:36]not going to be silenced and i hope
[1:56:37]that my voice will bring
[1:56:38]other survivors and other victims to
[1:56:41]come along
[1:56:41]and speak up so that we can be more of a
[1:56:44]stronger voice and louder
[1:56:49]all right listen i don't like to i
[1:56:51]don't want to send a direct message to
[1:56:52]him
[1:56:53]uh i'm already scared enough
[1:56:57]yeah just just pass the vote listen
[1:57:00]to us
[1:57:00]this is not a hoax like it's not
[1:57:03]going to go away
[1:57:04]and like i said on my speech earlier
[1:57:06]we are not going to be we're not
[1:57:08]going to be silenced anymore
[1:57:09]we will be speaking moving forward
[1:57:11]wherever we need to be
[1:57:13]we will be and we need to pass this
[1:57:16]go ahead
[1:57:27]what do you guys think i know you're
[1:57:29]working on your own list but you
[1:57:30]believe that
[1:57:31]jeffrey epstein had a list so there's
[1:57:33]there's not a list
[1:57:35]so here's what it was just like you
[1:57:36]heard everybody today
[1:57:38]jeffrey epstein created through an
[1:57:40]organization
[1:57:41]that of enablers of people that
[1:57:43]were on his payroll
[1:57:44]it was a complicated scheme where
[1:57:46]others should still be investigated
[1:57:48]because they helped to enable him and
[1:57:50]operate this scheme without those
[1:57:52]people he could not have done this
[1:57:53]but the purpose was for him to
[1:57:55]personally
[1:57:56]abuse people with that being said
[1:57:58]certain of his friends
[1:58:00]he farmed out certain of uh the the
[1:58:04]women that he was exploiting
[1:58:06]too but that wasn't the primary
[1:58:07]purpose of that scheme and i don't
[1:58:08]think he wrote the names of those
[1:58:10]people down
[1:58:11]there's not a list of hey here's all
[1:58:13]of the people that i sent
[1:58:15]females to that's just not how that
[1:58:16]organization works agreed
[1:58:18]is there any evidence that jeffrey
[1:58:19]epstein was involved with or tied to
[1:58:21]the cia or a foreign intelligence
[1:58:23]operation i think that the safest thing
[1:58:26]for me to say is all files should
[1:58:28]should come out whether it is for this
[1:58:29]with the cia fenson sec
[1:58:33]fbi um i'm not just making these up
[1:58:35]haphazardly i'm
[1:58:37]giving you a road map where to look
[1:58:40]go ahead i i'll go first and then i'll
[1:58:50]let them they're much more
[1:58:51]important to me but i don't
[1:58:52]understand why it's a hostile act i
[1:58:54]can tell you that i talked to
[1:58:55]president clinton i'm sorry
[1:58:57]president uh trump back in 2009 and
[1:58:59]several times after that
[1:59:01]he didn't think that it was a hoax
[1:59:02]then in fact he helped me he got on
[1:59:04]the phone he told me
[1:59:05]things that were helping our
[1:59:07]investigation now our investigation
[1:59:08]wasn't looking into him
[1:59:09]but he was helping us then he
[1:59:10]didn't treat this as a hoax so at
[1:59:12]this point in time
[1:59:13]i would hope that he would revert
[1:59:14]back to what he was saying to get
[1:59:16]elected
[1:59:17]which is i want transparency this
[1:59:19]about face that occurred
[1:59:20]none of us understand it in fact i
[1:59:22]don't understand how this is a
[1:59:24]an issue that's even up for debate how
[1:59:27]do you not stand behind these women
[1:59:30]after you've heard their stories and
[1:59:31]know that hundreds of them
[1:59:33]were abused and it was only because
[1:59:35]files are being kept in secrecy the
[1:59:37]world should know who he is
[1:59:39]who protected him and the other
[1:59:40]people that are out there to be
[1:59:41]investigated need to be investigated
[1:59:46]go ahead are there any people who
[1:59:48]are currently serving
[1:59:49]in government who are named who you
[1:59:51]know of are in these files who you
[1:59:53]had relations with anything of that
[1:59:55]sort who jeffrey fsteen connected you
[1:59:57]with are you willing to say yes or no
[1:59:59]how are they i can answer
[2:00:05]sorry
[2:00:14]i think she's referring to myself
[2:00:16]um hi anushka de georgio i have
[2:00:19]been threatened
[2:00:20]uh i was threatened by phone my
[2:00:23]daughter was threatened
[2:00:24]when i was volunteering to
[2:00:26]participate in
[2:00:28]by means of being a witness in a
[2:00:30]civil lawsuit that virginia jufray
[2:00:32]was bringing against gilen maxwell
[2:00:34]um i have been followed i have been
[2:00:37]stalked
[2:00:38]i have been followed not only by
[2:00:39]journalists but by people who do not
[2:00:42]get out of the car
[2:00:43]and do not try and talk to me and
[2:00:45]just drive behind me
[2:00:47]as i drive my daughter to school so
[2:00:49]the fear is very real for us
[2:00:51]i have also been in multiple
[2:00:53]situations with both
[2:00:54]jeffrey epstein and gilen maxwell
[2:00:56]where they have been direct and
[2:00:59]indirect
[2:01:00]about implying and saying that
[2:01:03]if i was to talk if i was to bring any
[2:01:06]kind of trouble
[2:01:08]then there would be severe
[2:01:10]consequence
[2:01:11]including death just to add to that
[2:01:15]um you know uh maxwell also
[2:01:19]threatened my sister maria farmer
[2:01:20]you know when when the fbi did
[2:01:21]nothing about her initial report
[2:01:23]you know we did uh she reported
[2:01:25]individually at that time and then in
[2:01:27]2002
[2:01:28]we spoke to a reporter at vanity
[2:01:30]fair telling our stories fearful that
[2:01:32]perhaps other people were being harmed
[2:01:33]you know we were not we we believed
[2:01:36]that was going to make a difference we
[2:01:37]believed that would be put in print
[2:01:38]and that story was crushed and it
[2:01:40]was because of
[2:01:41]their power and uh the the message
[2:01:45]that we got from that
[2:01:46]was direct threats from maxwell to
[2:01:48]my sister about her well-being and
[2:01:50]her safety
[2:01:51]and that of our family so there i
[2:01:52]think many people have similar
[2:01:54]stories of threats that has been a
[2:01:55]very real part of this case
[2:01:58]go ahead over here do you want to i just
[2:02:13]want to say it's it
[2:02:15]one thing that's very clear when
[2:02:16]people say you know please share
[2:02:18]names um there are names that are very
[2:02:20]well known like that of les wexner
[2:02:21]who everyone knows
[2:02:23]supplied an enormous amount of um
[2:02:25]epstein's you know financial wealth
[2:02:27]and allowed this operation to happen
[2:02:29]so it's i think confusing to many of
[2:02:31]us why there have not been
[2:02:32]more ramifications for for him and
[2:02:35]he's been seen as a victim when
[2:02:36]clearly um i i believe there's more
[2:02:39]to it
[2:02:42]so uh you represented virginia roberts
[2:02:46]she eventually had to work hands with
[2:02:47]the allegations that she made against
[2:02:49]alan dershowitz she alleged that
[2:02:53]all right next question next question
[2:02:55]thank you who's next
[2:02:57]why is it no she should be no we're
[2:02:58]not answering your question
[2:03:00]anybody else
[2:03:03]how does the victim feel about the
[2:03:04]interview that was given to galaine
[2:03:06]maxwell by trying to say something
[2:03:07]that's better okay ma'am i think that
[2:03:10]you had a question
[2:03:25]i don't i don't know that we're able
[2:03:27]to reveal what we've seen and what we
[2:03:28]have not seen by way of protective
[2:03:30]order but my point being in that
[2:03:32]circumstance was if anybody wants
[2:03:34]answers there's an easy place to get
[2:03:36]it i told you where to get it i said
[2:03:38]the estate of jeffrey epstein has it
[2:03:40]serve a subpoena on them
[2:03:41]they'll turn it over and if we had
[2:03:43]served a subpoena on them in the
[2:03:44]past they would have turned it over
[2:03:46]and we would have seen it
[2:03:47]which i don't usually miss subpoenas
[2:03:49]like that so there we go
[2:03:54]to your question about the uh the
[2:03:57]allegations there's a simple answer
[2:03:59]release the files let the american
[2:04:01]public decide
[2:04:03]instead of harassing instead of if
[2:04:06]i gave you your say look look
[2:04:14]you know even you
[2:04:20]you've been heard you've been heard
[2:04:23]you've been heard and even alan
[2:04:25]dershowitz even alan dershowitz says
[2:04:27]release the files release the files
[2:04:29]that is the answer and that's what
[2:04:31]we're here for
[2:04:50]can you elaborate on your
[2:04:52]interactions with donald trump back
[2:04:54]in 2009
[2:04:54]and for any of the victims they didn't
[2:04:55]ever see the president well then
[2:04:58]not president yet but never ever see
[2:05:00]trump with epstein in any way i i
[2:05:02]don't know who's uh i i don't think
[2:05:05]that we can answer that question did
[2:05:06]anybody see trump with epstein back
[2:05:07]then this is really not a political
[2:05:09]thing we want the passage of the
[2:05:10]bill and this is not the call out
[2:05:12]president trump my my my point was
[2:05:15]that he was friendly back then did
[2:05:16]not think that it was a hoax and
[2:05:17]was trying to help
[2:05:19]and now it seems like all of the
[2:05:20]sudden somebody's in his ear and
[2:05:22]he's not so i'm hoping
[2:05:23]he'll come back to where he was back
[2:05:25]in 2009
[2:05:26]be on the side of the victims and
[2:05:27]stand with us
[2:05:29]go ahead
[2:05:40]do you want to answer it therese will
[2:05:42]step up i would uh therese j home
[2:05:45]i happy to speak on that because
[2:05:49]what i will say is she got this
[2:05:52]airtime and platform her voice was
[2:05:54]elevated
[2:05:56]way before our voices were elevated
[2:05:59]here
[2:06:00]today and that same
[2:06:04]calm manipulative voice
[2:06:08]that she had so polite there that day
[2:06:12]with
[2:06:12]todd blanche was the same polite
[2:06:16]coercive manipulative voice that i
[2:06:19]heard as she was grooming me
[2:06:23]to then send me off to the home of
[2:06:25]jeffrey epstein where he would
[2:06:26]assault me
[2:06:28]so that's what she was doing for hours
[2:06:30]speaking with me building relationship
[2:06:32]with me
[2:06:33]building trust with me allowing me to
[2:06:36]believe that
[2:06:37]i was going to get this job a dream
[2:06:39]job that i had been recruited from my
[2:06:41]college
[2:06:42]flown across the country from los
[2:06:44]angeles to new york city
[2:06:45]to interview so i thought so her
[2:06:48]voice that day
[2:06:50]was the same voice that sent me off
[2:06:52]to a monster
[2:06:54]so believe nothing can be believed
[2:06:58]from what she says because she's
[2:07:02]she's been uh charged with perjury
[2:07:05]i myself could sit there and listen
[2:07:07]and as i did i sat there and listened
[2:07:09]to this woman's voice
[2:07:11]lie and there was no pushback from
[2:07:15]todd blanche because
[2:07:16]does he even have the facts to be
[2:07:18]able to push back on her
[2:07:21]we could sit there and push back why
[2:07:23]didn't we get to attend that
[2:07:25]why weren't we there that day or why
[2:07:27]wasn't even
[2:07:28]one of us consulted prior to that day
[2:07:31]in that meeting
[2:07:33]and why on earth has she been moved
[2:07:35]from florida
[2:07:36]to her it basically is
[2:07:40]prison spa i mean you know let's be
[2:07:43]real
[2:07:44]none of us were consulted i found
[2:07:46]out just like everyone here found out
[2:07:49]through the media through all of you
[2:07:51]we found out about gilin's transfer
[2:07:55]so we were all i'm very angry to sit
[2:07:58]there and listen
[2:07:59]the feelings that come up listening to
[2:08:01]this woman's voice
[2:08:02]is repulsive yes i would say it's
[2:08:05]triggering
[2:08:06]we all work very hard on healing
[2:08:10]and it still gets to us
[2:08:13]after two decades it's a very long
[2:08:16]answer but that
[2:08:17]it's it's repulsive to sit there and
[2:08:19]listen to her voice in her interview
[2:08:21]can we take can we take two more two
[2:08:22]more questions one over here
[2:08:45]there i think that there's there's
[2:08:47]nobody that's
[2:08:48]immune from us going after them if
[2:08:51]there's a legitimate action to take
[2:08:52]so
[2:08:53]to the extent that that evidence
[2:08:54]exists then show it to us and
[2:08:57]we'll help in every every way we
[2:08:58]can we stand with the victims
[2:09:00]okay one more
[2:09:12]i don't think we can talk about i
[2:09:13]don't think we can talk about that
[2:09:14]case i i do think it's worth saying
[2:09:16]though despite the the the comments
[2:09:17]that he made virginia roberts dufray
[2:09:19]is an american hero she is somebody
[2:09:22]she is somebody without whom we would
[2:09:24]not be able
[2:09:25]to have this voice she was the one
[2:09:27]who had courage to name names
[2:09:29]speak out against people and and she
[2:09:32]was standing up against
[2:09:33]everybody at one time with an
[2:09:35]enormous amount of pressure
[2:09:36]and most of these women are here
[2:09:38]because of virginia roberts dufray
[2:09:42]all right last one clearly not us
[2:09:54]all right i don't i don't think anybody
[2:09:56]knows but i can tell you that in that
[2:09:57]in the uh oversight committee meeting
[2:09:59]yesterday
[2:10:00]they indicated that they were all for
[2:10:02]transparency releasing the files and
[2:10:05]asked us to hold them accountable
[2:10:07]isn't that right yes they said hold
[2:10:08]hold them accountable so we intend to
[2:10:10]hold them accountable
[2:10:14]we're we're we're going to show
[2:10:16]them where to go with it
[2:10:17]and uh as long as they're doing
[2:10:19]their job they should i'm going to
[2:10:20]turn it back over
[2:10:21]to uh rocotta thank you let me just say
[2:10:26]this
[2:10:26]let me let me say this i think the
[2:10:28]people back who are testifying here
[2:10:30]today are speaking out today they are
[2:10:32]american heroes let's give them a
[2:10:34]another round of applause and you
[2:10:36]say look
[2:10:38]thomas marjorie and i were huge
[2:10:40]believers in the first amendment and
[2:10:41]we believe in free speech
[2:10:43]and we take abuse all the time but
[2:10:44]you see you you see why
[2:10:47]it's so hard to do what they have
[2:10:48]done because they come forward
[2:10:51]and you subject yourself to national
[2:10:54]scrutiny
[2:10:55]and national questioning and i just
[2:10:56]want to say from the bottom of my
[2:10:58]heart how appreciative i am
[2:11:00]and uh how proud i am of what you've
[2:11:03]done today you made a big difference
[2:11:06]before i bring on marjorie and then
[2:11:08]thomas i'll have the last word
[2:11:10]i want to summarize three basic
[2:11:12]things that i heard from
[2:11:14]the survivors first they want to know
[2:11:18]why our government covered up for
[2:11:21]someone rich and powerful
[2:11:23]why is it that we have two americas
[2:11:25]people say why do you need to release
[2:11:26]the epstein files if epstein is dead
[2:11:28]and maxwell is in jail because we
[2:11:30]don't know
[2:11:30]who who all was involved in the
[2:11:33]cover-up why is there
[2:11:34]why are there rich and powerful
[2:11:36]people who didn't have justice
[2:11:38]they want to know that second many
[2:11:39]said it's important for their own
[2:11:41]closure
[2:11:42]they don't know their own abuse they
[2:11:44]want to understand what's in these
[2:11:46]files
[2:11:46]for themselves and third we heard that
[2:11:48]there are many others
[2:11:50]who obviously were involved and they
[2:11:52]want to know and the american people
[2:11:53]deserve to know
[2:11:55]what was there in those files i
[2:11:57]actually think they're helping
[2:11:58]us come together as a country i've
[2:12:00]never i've never done a press
[2:12:01]conference with marjorie taylor
[2:12:02]green before
[2:12:06]you know i've done some with us but
[2:12:07]look this is such a this country is
[2:12:09]divided is exhausted it's
[2:12:11]this is one thing one thing that we
[2:12:14]can come together on
[2:12:16]and i i i didn't i was very clear with
[2:12:18]thomas this is not against president
[2:12:19]trump i would like nothing more
[2:12:21]than a truth social post for him after
[2:12:23]this press conference saying just
[2:12:24]release the files be with be with mass
[2:12:27]econa
[2:12:28]this is this is about something much
[2:12:30]deeper it is about bringing this
[2:12:32]country together
[2:12:33]to stand for america's kids to
[2:12:35]restore trust
[2:12:36]and to move this country forward so
[2:12:38]thank you to the survivors
[2:12:40]for helping us do that now i want to
[2:12:42]introduce marjorie taylor green
[2:12:49]for everyone watching at home i think
[2:12:51]it's important
[2:12:52]to put yourself in these women's shoes
[2:12:56]as you're questioning why can't they
[2:12:58]just name the names
[2:13:00]what you don't realize is they just
[2:13:02]told their stories
[2:13:04]of being raped and being abused being
[2:13:07]victimized
[2:13:08]being manipulated being coerced and
[2:13:11]basically held in a prison
[2:13:13]of captivity of sexual abuse while they
[2:13:16]were young
[2:13:17]young teenagers and extremely young
[2:13:19]vulnerable women
[2:13:20]and in jeffrey epstein's home
[2:13:23]and the places they went with him
[2:13:25]they saw the most powerful people
[2:13:28]in the world in his pictures and
[2:13:31]they saw
[2:13:32]him with those people can you imagine
[2:13:35]how terrifying it would be
[2:13:37]to name names like that these are
[2:13:39]some of the richest most powerful
[2:13:41]people in the world
[2:13:42]that could sue these women into poverty
[2:13:45]and homelessness
[2:13:46]yeah it's a scary thing to name names
[2:13:49]but i will tell you
[2:13:51]i'm not afraid to name names and so if
[2:13:54]they want to give me a list
[2:13:55]i will walk in that capital on the
[2:13:57]house floor
[2:13:58]and i'll say every damn name that
[2:14:01]abused these women
[2:14:04]i can do that for them and i'd be
[2:14:06]proud to do it
[2:14:07]now another thing this is not
[2:14:11]about politics and this is a boiling
[2:14:14]point
[2:14:14]in american history where the american
[2:14:17]people just like roe just said
[2:14:19]there's become two americas is it
[2:14:22]there's the america for the rich and
[2:14:24]the powerful and the elite
[2:14:25]where they never face any struggles or
[2:14:27]problems
[2:14:28]and never experience what what real
[2:14:31]america goes through
[2:14:33]and then there's forgotten america
[2:14:35]that faces all the problems and deals
[2:14:38]with all the issues
[2:14:40]and never gets justice for being sexually
[2:14:44]assaulted and raped by a monster
[2:14:48]it shouldn't exist anymore and people
[2:14:50]are sick of it
[2:14:51]so let's recognize the fact that the
[2:14:54]administration before
[2:14:56]and the one before it and the one
[2:14:58]before it and the one before it and
[2:15:00]before it
[2:15:00]never did anything about this so this
[2:15:04]isn't one political party or the
[2:15:06]other
[2:15:06]it's a culmination of everyone
[2:15:10]worked together to silence these women
[2:15:13]and protected jeffrey epstein and his
[2:15:16]cabal
[2:15:17]and this is not just rich powerful
[2:15:19]people think his drivers
[2:15:21]his maids his chefs all the people
[2:15:24]his
[2:15:25]people that worked in his home security
[2:15:27]guards
[2:15:28]i heard one story from a young woman
[2:15:31]that was being raped by jeffrey
[2:15:33]epstein
[2:15:34]when he was out on work release while
[2:15:37]he was serving time
[2:15:38]in prison and had an ankle monitor on
[2:15:41]his leg
[2:15:43]guess what there was a police officer
[2:15:45]outside that door
[2:15:47]so this list of names is quite a list
[2:15:50]of names and it doesn't extend
[2:15:52]just in the rich powerful circles it
[2:15:54]extends down to the very bottom
[2:15:56]where people were paid
[2:15:59]and again i will say this there's
[2:16:01]victims suffering today
[2:16:03]in similar circumstances and they're
[2:16:05]terrified
[2:16:07]to name the names of the people that
[2:16:09]are currently abusing them
[2:16:11]and so with these brave courageous
[2:16:14]women
[2:16:14]fighting this fight this is a fight for
[2:16:17]women
[2:16:18]and children and any person that is
[2:16:21]facing
[2:16:21]sexual abuse and rape and captivity
[2:16:24]and human trafficking
[2:16:25]right now and so here's what i ask
[2:16:29]you in the press
[2:16:30]don't go for salacious headlines
[2:16:34]go for the truth and defend these women
[2:16:39]and help those of us in congress that
[2:16:41]are crossing
[2:16:42]our political party lines for do and
[2:16:45]doing the right thing and trying to
[2:16:46]do it together
[2:16:48]and thank you roe and thank you
[2:16:50]thomas and now i recognize
[2:16:52]thomas massey from content well
[2:16:59]there's three branches of government
[2:17:01]and we're supposed to keep each
[2:17:03]other accountable
[2:17:04]and that's what we're doing here
[2:17:05]today in the people's house we're
[2:17:07]standing in front of the people's house
[2:17:08]with real people not a hoax
[2:17:10]and they've told their story we wanted
[2:17:13]to give them a platform to speak and
[2:17:14]they've had it they stepped up
[2:17:16]and they were brave but i also
[2:17:19]today hoped that they would persuade
[2:17:21]my colleagues
[2:17:22]to join this effort but i found out
[2:17:25]something today that happened that i
[2:17:27]wasn't expecting they persuaded me to
[2:17:29]fight even harder
[2:17:31]i'm not going to give up and i want
[2:17:35]to end
[2:17:36]with this call to action first a call
[2:17:38]to action to my colleagues
[2:17:40]who just an hour before this press
[2:17:42]conference
[2:17:43]were prepared they were given a fig
[2:17:45]leaf we'll put a resolution on the
[2:17:47]floor so that
[2:17:48]you can say that you voted to
[2:17:49]protect the survivors
[2:17:52]their resolution doesn't really do
[2:17:54]anything
[2:17:55]and that's the oldest trick in the
[2:17:57]swamp
[2:17:58]when you want to kill the momentum
[2:18:00]when you want to kill initiative
[2:18:03]you introduce a placebo a different
[2:18:06]bill that does nothing
[2:18:07]and then try to pull the wool over the
[2:18:10]eyes of the american people
[2:18:11]that's not going to happen this time
[2:18:15]we demand real accountability i
[2:18:18]encourage my colleagues please
[2:18:20]there's over 200 republicans who
[2:18:22]have not signed this discharge
[2:18:23]petition
[2:18:24]we only need two of them to sign it
[2:18:28]and every democrat will sign it and
[2:18:30]that will get us the number we need
[2:18:31]to force this vote
[2:18:32]to pass a law not a polite request
[2:18:36]to the doj to police themselves no
[2:18:39]we need legally binding legislation to
[2:18:42]force that to happen
[2:18:43]and my main call to action is to the
[2:18:46]people watching these live feeds that
[2:18:48]are going through these cameras right
[2:18:49]now
[2:18:51]congressman listen to you light up
[2:18:54]their phones
[2:18:55]burn down the phone lines here in
[2:18:57]washington dc
[2:18:59]ask them the questions that these
[2:19:02]survivors
[2:19:03]wanted you to ask them what are you why
[2:19:06]won't you be for transparency don't
[2:19:09]accept their
[2:19:10]answer that the bill has a flaw or
[2:19:12]that the survivors don't want it
[2:19:14]we know that's not true they wouldn't
[2:19:16]be fighting it so hard in this town
[2:19:18]if it wasn't the real bill
[2:19:21]so with that please call your
[2:19:23]congressman
[2:19:24]tell him or her to get on this bill
[2:19:26]and to stand up for these
[2:19:28]survivors thank you and god bless
[2:19:30]that's
[2:19:58]congressman massey congressman massey
[2:20:08]been threatened by the white house
[2:20:10]which has done a 180 the lawyer here
[2:20:13]said he would like for the president
[2:20:15]to go back to his position
[2:20:16]nine years ago i'd like him just to go
[2:20:18]back