Photo: DANIEL HEUER / AFP / Getty Images
Several survivors of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's abuse will be seated in the House chamber Tuesday (February 24) night when President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union (SOTU) address, as at least half a dozen House Democrats use the high-profile event to press the administration over its handling of millions of newly released Epstein-related documents.
The coordinated effort comes amid growing frustration among survivors and their congressional allies that the Trump administration is moving to close the book on the Epstein case before all records have been made public. The Department of Justice (DOJ) released roughly 3 million pages of Epstein files and declared that its final obligation under the Epstein Files Transparency Act — even as survivors push for the remaining 3 million pages to be released.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are among the Democrats who have secured seats for Epstein survivors in the chamber. Rep. Ro Khanna, who co-authored the Epstein Transparency Act that forced the DOJ to release the files, invited survivor Haley Robson.
Khanna, speaking Monday (February 23), framed the issue in broader terms: "Haley's courageous fight is proof that this isn't about politics, it's about exposing America's two-tiered system of justice and bringing accountability to the Epstein class involved in the horrific abuse of young girls."
Reps. Jamie Raskin and Suhas Subramanyam announced Sky and Amanda Roberts as their guests — the brother and sister-in-law, respectively, of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
Rep. Maxine Dexter invited survivor Lisa Phillips, saying in a statement Monday (February 23), "Her presence will send a clear message: Epstein survivors will not be silenced. The powerful will not be protected." Phillips responded, saying, "I am deeply grateful to Representative Dexter for this honor. I sit in this seat not for myself, but for the girls who were never given a voice — and for the accountability they deserve."