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A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse says she and other survivors don’t plan to let up on calls for justice and transparency from the Trump administration until the files on the convicted sex offender are actually released in full.
Jess Michaels, a survivor who said she was first abused by Epstein in 1991, says she’s been filled with “a complexity of emotions” since U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that forces the U.S. Department of Justice to release the files to the public.
“I’ve hit every range of overwhelm to numb to exhilarated and empowered to even being filled with rage that it’s taken this long,” she told CBC News Network host Aarti Pole on Friday.
Michaels says she doesn’t think the news will really sink in for her and other survivors until they see the files released.
“I think we’re going to be a little bit cautiously optimistic going forward.”
Epstein was a convicted sex offender infamous for his connections to wealthy and powerful people, making him a fixture of outrage and conspiracy theories about wrongdoing among American elites. He died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in New York in 2019.
Michaels is among a group of Epstein survivors who have been putting pressure on U.S. lawmakers in recent months to get all the files related to the investigation into his crimes released.
“We especially have felt like the last three-and-a-half, four months have been this non-stop marathon of sharing our stories as publicly as possible so that we can get to the point where the government hears us,” she said.
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote Tuesday afternoon on a bill to force the Justice Department to release its files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. At a morning news conference, Epstein abuse survivors called for transparency and accountability in the case. CORRECTION: An earlier version of the title on this video erroneously omitted the word ‘files.’ It has been corrected.
30 days to release files
She said survivors plan to keep that pressure up to ensure the files are released within the 30 day timeframe the Epstein Files Transparency Act calls for.
Trump signed the legislation Wednesday evening, despite previously resisting the release of the files.
The House of Representatives passed the legislation in a 427-1 vote Tuesday, with Republican Rep. Clay Higgins the sole dissenter. He argued that the bill’s language could lead to the release of information on innocent people mentioned in the federal investigation.
The Senate later approved it unanimously, skipping a formal vote.
The act requires the U.S. Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in a federal prison in 2019, within 30 days.
It allows for redactions about Epstein’s victims for ongoing federal investigations, but states the department cannot withhold information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”
Michaels said survivors want to make sure the DOJ will adhere to that.
“We know we have 30 days of continued pressure on this government to make sure they do the right thing.”
She says she’s hopeful that will happen given the level of interest in the case.
“We know that the American people and actually the whole world is behind us, and that gives us a level of trust and confidence that is almost indescribable.”