Epstein victims express fear and exhaustion over handling of files

Euronews

3 days ago

Women who say they were abused by Jeffrey Epstein are feeling anxious about the US Justice Department's handling of records related to the convicted sex offender.
Some of the victims are backing the release of grand jury transcripts which they say is long overdue for greater transparency, while others have expressed concern over potential breaches of their privacy as well as question the motivations of the Trump administration.
In letters addressed to federal judges in New York this week, several victims personally or via their attorneys said they would support the declassification of grand jury transcripts and testimonies related to the disgraced financier's trial, contingent on some conditions.
They said they'd be open to those records, which led to the criminal convictions of Jeffrey Epstein and his British socialite former girlfriend and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, if the government agreed to allow them to review the material and redact sensitive information.
The Justice Department, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, has asked the court to take the rare steps of unsealing those documents, as pressure mounted on the Trump administration from supporters and critics alike, with many believing the US president may be personally implicated.
Trump had promised in his campaign trail to 'uncover secrets of the deep state', among them, conspiracies surrounding Epstein, whose files and trial proceedings have been largely sealed since his conviction.
US media outlets reported that Trump, once a close friend of Epstein's, was named in several documents, leading the public to believe that the administration's decision to not release any new evidence despite promises to do so, may be politically motivated to protect Trump.
Other victims have accused Trump of sidelining victims as he seeks to shift the focus from Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges that he habitually sexually abused underage girls on his US residences and private islands in the Caribbean.
Some victims say that Trump, in his eagerness to clear his name and make the scandal go away, might give Maxwell, who sourced and trafficked underage girls for Epstein, clemency and immunity from future prosecution, or better living conditions in prison as part of a deal if she testifies before Congress.
'I am not some pawn in your political warfare,' one alleged victim wrote in a letter submitted to the court by her lawyer this week. 'What you have done and continue to do is eating at me day after day as you help to perpetuate this story indefinitely.'
'This is all very exhausting,' added another victim in a letter anonymously submitted to a federal judge on Wednesday.
Last month, the Justice Department announced it would not release additional files related to the Epstein sex trafficking investigation, sparking domestic uproar.
The decision was later reversed under pressure and grand jury transcripts were requested to be released. Judges who will decide whether to release the transcripts then asked victims to share their views on the matter.
An attorney for Maxwell however has strictly opposed the release of those records which he says would be a violation of traditional grand jury secrecy.
'Jeffrey Epstein is dead. Ghislaine Maxwell is not,' said Oscar Markus, Maxwell's lawyer. He also stressed that the disgraced socialite must have a say in the matter, stating that 'the defendant is alive, her legal options are viable, and her due process rights remain.'