09/04/2025
"I had never been more scared in my life than I was that first time that he hurt me," Jena-Lisa Jones emotionally recounted at today's press conference of ten survivors of abuse by s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein. She said she first met Epstein when she was 14 years old. "I know that I was just a little kid but sometimes I still feel that it was my fault this happened."
Survivor after survivor implored lawmakers to back a bipartisan push from Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna (CA) and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (KY) to compel the Justice Department to publicly release all of the Epstein files. Although the House Oversight Committee released over 30,000 pages of related records yesterday, 97% were found to be already public knowledge. The released files represent only a fraction of the Epstein-related files that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has in its possession.
With all Democrats expected to support the discharge petition to force a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would require the DOJ to release all Epstein files, just two more Republicans, in addition to the four currently in support, are needed for the petition to force a vote. The representatives behind the bi-paristan sponsored legislation are being forced to use the discharge petition process as House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring the bill to the floor for a regular vote.
At the press conference, Rep. Massie encouraged the American public to demand Congress support the release of more files related to the Epstein investigation, stating: “Light up their phones, burn down the phone lines here in Washington, D.C.. Ask them the questions that these survivors wanted you to ask them. ‘Why won’t you be for transparency?’” Jones added, "Together, we can finally make a change" and "Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, this does not matter. This is not about sides."
Survivor Jess Michaels also spoke about the powerful show of solidarity from the women coming together. "For 27 years I thought I was the only one that Jeffrey Epstein r***d. This is what power looks like: survivors united and refusing to be dismissed," she asserted. "Justice and accountability are not favors from the powerful. They are obligations decades overdue. This moment began with Epstein's crimes. But it's going to be remembered for survivors demanding justice, demanding truth, demanding accountability."
For his part, when asked about the press conference pushing for transparency on the Epstein files, Trump continued to insist it was an "Epstein hoax" distracting from his administration's success, claiming "this is a Democrat hoax that never ends."
If you stand with these courageous survivors in their fight for justice, please write "I stand with the survivors" in the comments below.
If your representative has not signed the discharge petition demanding release the Epstein files, there is an action alert at 5 Calls at https://5calls.org/issue/release-epstein-files/
----
If you know a teen girl struggling after s*xual abuse or trauma, “The S*xual Trauma Workbook for Teen Girls: A Guide to Recovery from S*xual Assault and Abuse” may help at https://www.amightygirl.com/s*xual-trauma-workbook-girls
To start teaching children -- girls and boys alike -- from a young age about the need to respect others and their personal boundaries, we recommend "Let's Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent, and Respect" for ages 4 to 7 at https://www.amightygirl.com/body-boundaries
For older kids, check out the excellent "Consent (for Kids!)" for ages 6 to 10 at https://www.amightygirl.com/consent-for-kids
There is also a helpful guide for teens on topics such as consent and coercion, "Real Talk About S*x and Consent: What Every Teen Needs to Know," for ages 13 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/real-talk-about-s*x-and-consent
For several fictional stories that address r**e and s*xual violence and offer a helpful way to spark conversations with young adult readers around s*xual assault, we recommend "Speak" for ages 14 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/speak), "Girl Made of Stars" for ages 14 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/girl-made-of-stars), and "The Way I Used To Be" for ages 15 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-way-i-used-to-be)
----
For an detailed overview of today's press conference, visit https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/03/house-epstein-files-victims-news-conference/
Thanks to the National Organization for Women (NOW) for sharing this image!
