Epstein victims to attend Trump speech, demand accountability

Sharlene Rochard (L), Jeffrey Epstein victim, holds a photograph of Virginia Giuffre, as she stands next to US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer during a news conference at the US Capitol on February 10. Photo / Getty Images

Victims of Jeffrey Epstein will attend United States President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address seeking accountability for the crimes of the convicted sex offender, lawmakers said.

“Today the world will see Donald Trump have to face these survivors right there in the House gallery,” Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state, said at a press conference.

“Ambassadors and princes have been arrested in other countries,” Jayapal said. “But here in America, not a single investigation has been announced into the paedophiles and predators of Epstein’s horrific sex trafficking ring.”

“We demand investigations right here at home,” Jayapal said at the press conference attended by several victims of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

Only one person has been arrested or convicted in the United States in connection with the activities of Epstein – Ghislaine Maxwell, his ex-girlfriend and accomplice.

Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty in 2021 of providing minor girls to the wealthy and well-connected financier, whose friends once included Trump.

While there have been no prosecutions beyond Maxwell, several prominent Americans have resigned from high-profile positions after files made public revealed they maintained relations with Epstein after his 2008 conviction for sex offences.

Lisa Phillips, an Epstein victim, called for every country to launch “independent investigations into every single person of power” named in the Epstein files released by the US Justice Department.

“Some may have committed no crimes. Some may have. But every person connected to wrongdoing and Epstein’s world in any nation must be investigated, and, if appropriate, held accountable,” Phillips said.

Trump fought for months to prevent release of the Epstein files but eventually signed the law passed by Congress requiring their publication. The 79-year-old Republican’s name appears in the files repeatedly but he has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

-Agence France-Presse