Six women who say they were trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell spoke out in Washington, D.C., demanding the release of more investigative files. They also urged former President Donald Trump to promise he would not pardon Maxwell. The group appeared alongside family members of Virginia Giuffre, a well-known Epstein accuser who died by suicide in April. Together, they criticized what they described as the government’s decades-long failure to deliver accountability for Epstein’s network of abuse.
Jess Michaels, who says Epstein raped her in 1991, described him as a “master manipulator” who used a deliberate strategy to trap young women and girls. She emphasized that survivors were left defenseless against his predatory behavior and argued that the justice system has committed a “severe miscarriage of justice.” Michaels said the long delays and lack of answers compelled her to speak publicly, echoing other women’s frustrations with the system’s failures.
Two other survivors, Wendy Avis and Jena-Lisa Jones, recounted their experiences of abuse at age 14. Both condemned the silence of adults who they believe witnessed the exploitation. Jones insisted that many people around Epstein “very clearly knew what was going on” yet chose not to intervene. Avis, speaking publicly for the first time, highlighted the continued absence of justice for survivors, stressing that the trauma extended far beyond high-profile cases, affecting ordinary people whose stories remain unheard.
The six women, which also included Marijke Chartouni, Lisa Phillips, and Liz Stein, directed much of their anger at the Justice Department. They accused officials of withholding information, failing to protect survivors, and ignoring calls for transparency. Stein, in particular, expressed support for bipartisan efforts in Congress to make more investigative records public. Their statements came just before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee disclosed over 33,000 pages of Epstein-related documents, fueling demands for answers.
Legislators across party lines are now pursuing accountability. Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie are leading efforts to investigate possible mishandling of Epstein and Maxwell’s cases. These efforts come as Maxwell serves a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. Despite her conviction, she has continued to deny wrongdoing, leaving survivors angered by what they see as an incomplete reckoning.
Lisa Phillips captured the sense of urgency shared by the group, warning that survivors would not stop pressing for justice. She suggested that if the government continues to fail them, they may pursue their own strategies for accountability, saying, “We’ll compile our own list.” For the women, the public appeal was both a call for transparency and a demand that their voices no longer be ignored.
