Survivors spoke at the Capitol in support of an effort to force a House vote on releasing materials related to Epstein — with many calling for accountability and urging leaders in DC and the media to humanize those he abused.
“It feels like you just want to explode inside because nobody, again, is understanding that this is a real situation. These women are real. We’re here in person,” said Haley Robson, one of the survivors who said she is a registered Republican.
The gathering came on the heels of the release of related documents by the Justice Department — including years-old court filings, body cam footage of searches, and summaries of interviews with victims. But most of the material was already publicly known, a point Massie highlighted in comments at Wednesday's press event.
"They're allowing the DOJ to curate all of the information that the DOJ is giving them," the Kentucky lawmaker said. "If you've looked at the pages they've released so far, they're heavily redacted — some pages are entirely redacted — and 97 percent of this is already in the public domain."
Massie used the lectern to call for a handful of additional co-signers to push through his discharge petition, dubbed the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
"I'm calling on my colleagues. Be one of the next two who sponsors this discharge petition," he said. "I think it's shameful that this has been called a hoax. Hopefully today we can clear that up. This is not a hoax. This is real. There are real survivors. There are real victims to this criminal enterprise."
Just minutes after Epstein survivors offered emotional testimony about their experiences, however, President Donald Trump repeated his claim that the case is a "Democratic hoax."
Massie was joined at the press event by Democratic ally Congressman Ro Khanna of California and Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.