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AMY GOODMAN: After months of stonewalling by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Congress finally voted Tuesday to compel the Justice Department to release the files on Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased convicted sex offender and power broker. The House vote was unanimous, except for one. That’s 427 to 1 in favor of releasing the files. Republican Congressman Clay Higgins of Louisiana was the lone “no” vote.
Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse were seated in the gallery during the vote and embraced, cheering when it passed.
The Senate then voted unanimously to pass the House bill. It’s a stunning outcome after months of fierce opposition by President Trump and the Republican Party. Trump reversed course over the weekend when he saw too many defections, and said he would sign the bill.
Ahead of the vote, survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse held a news conference on Capitol Hill. These are some of their voices.
LISA PHILLIPS: My name is Lisa Phillips. It’s an honor to stand here again for something America is finally united on: the immediate release of the entire Epstein files. In a divided nation, this is one demand we all share. …
So, today, we are launching something historic: the first national survivor-led political movement in America, nonpartisan, laser-focused on exposing the systems, the loopholes, power structures and silencing mechanisms that have protected predators for far too long. We are stepping directly into the halls of power, into the political arena. We will help rewrite laws that failed us, and build protections for our nation’s children, together, targeted by sexual exploitation. Together today, survivors begin our own fight: the survivor revolution. And we intend to change this nation for the better.
JENA–LISA JONES: Hello, everybody. I am Jena-Lisa Jones. … This was me at 14 years old. I was a child. I was in ninth grade. I was hopeful for life and what the future had held for me. He stole a lot from me by — at 14. …
Sexual abuse is not a Republican issue. It is not a — or a Democratic issue. It is not a — it is also not a hoax. We are here as American survivors of a man who used his wealth and power to hurt young girls and women. The world should see the files to know who Jeffrey Epstein was and how the system catered to him and failed us. Emotionally, this process has been distressing. First, the administration said it would release everything, and applauded President Trump for that. Then it fought to release nothing.
ANNIE FARMER: Good morning. My name is Annie Farmer, and this is a photo of me and my sister Maria Farmer around the time I was 16 and she was 25. That’s how old we were when we were abused by Epstein and Maxwell. …
This is not an issue of a few corrupt Democrats or a few corrupt Republicans. This is a case of institutional betrayal. Because these crimes were not properly investigated, so many more girls and women were harmed. My sister, because of her bravery, was repeatedly threatened and lived in fear, with dire consequences for her health and her career. Thirty years later, even as oceans of allegations and obvious truths have emerged, the government has still not chosen transparency. This is why we have all come together as one united voice to demand the release of all the Epstein files and to finally bring the truth out of the shadows.
AMY GOODMAN: Annie Farmer’s sister Maria Farmer first reported Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse to the FBI in 1996, nearly 30 years ago. The survivors of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse were speaking at a Capitol Hill news conference ahead of the House and Senate votes to force the DOJ to release the Epstein files, unanimous in the Senate, only one dissenting vote in the House.
