Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, who will be guests of Democratic members of Congress during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, ripped into the president during a press conference on Capitol Hill.
The Democratic Women’s Caucus held a press conference with many of the survivors of Epstein on Tuesday afternoon. This comes as the president is set to give his first State of the Union since returning to office last year, though he delivered a joint address in 2025.
“It's important for all of us to be here represent ourselves and really represent human dignity and justice,” Teresa Helm, an Epstein survivor, told The Independent.
Many Democratic members of Congress have invited survivors of the late convicted sex offender and his trafficking operation. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) was one of the first, inviting Haley Robson to be his guest.
In addition, Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, invited Sky and Amanda Roberts, who are the family members of the late Virginia Giuffre, another survivor of Epstein’s.
“And to anyone who thinks this moment can be reduced to a headline or media cycle or even a Super Bowl moment for political theater, let me be clear, the only thing more powerful than hate is love,” Sky Roberts said, referencing Bad Bunny. “And this is not going away. “
The survivors have come to Capitol Hill on multiple occasions, first to advocate for legislation to release the files, which Trump has called a “Democrat hoax.”
They visited again in November ahead of the vote for the legislation in November, after Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) passed a discharge petition to force a vote to release the files over the objections of House Republican leadership. Khanna told The Independent that he and Massie will sit next to each other during the State of the Union.
The bill passed almost unanimously in the House, and after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer requested unanimous consent.
Schumer also joined the press conference, as he had invited survivor Dani Bensk,y while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will bring Marina Lacerda. Besky specifically lambasted FBI Director Kash Patel for parting with the US men’s hockey team during the Olympics rather than conducting the investigation.
“Why is the FBI director out there partying like a college kid when you should be investigating?” she said.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, invited Annie Farmer, whose sister Maria first spoke to the FBI in 1996.
“The recent release of materials highlights this as the names of many powerful individuals remain redacted, while the names, personal data and even nude images of many victims were released rather than apologize for this failure, this DOJ has doubled down on denial and distraction,” Farmer said.
Earlier this month, some of the survivors of Epstein came to a hearing from the House Judiciary Committee where Attorney General Pam Bondi testified. Bondi received criticism for not acknowledging the survivors during testimony.
“I mean, we're expecting the same kind of behavior, but we're hopeful that he will pay attention to us to say something about the files,” Lisa Phillips, an Epstein survivor, told The Independent.
Many Democrats said they will not attend the State of the Union. Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon invited Phillips and said Phillips will attend in her stead.
Many of the survivors have criticized how the files have been released, particularly given the fact that many of the alleged co-conspirators of Epstein’s had their names redacted while many of the survivors had their names revealed.
“The biggest violation so far has been survivors being exposed further,” Teresa Helm, a survivor, told The Independent. “That's the number one violation at all.”
Trump is not likely to address the Epstein investigation during his joint address to Congress. He has in the past called the investigation “total bulls***.”
But survivors of Epstein pushed back on the idea that it was a hoax.
“You know why it's important? Because whether he addresses us or not, he knows we're there,” Jess Michaels, an Epstein survivor, told The Independent. “He knows we are watching. We are not letting this administration off the hook, and we're not going anywhere.”
The president and Epstein were friends for many years and while the president’s name appears throughout many of the files, no evidence exists that Trump did anything wrong or untoward to young girls or women with Epstein.
