Virginia Giuffre's family says she would have wanted Epstein documents released

CNN

5 days ago

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The family of Virginia Giuffre — one of the women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sex trafficking and who died by suicide earlier this year — said Thursday that she would have wanted documents related to the disgraced financier to be made public, as the Trump administration faces mounting pressure around the case.
Amanda Roberts, Giuffre's sister-in-law, told CNN's Kaitlan Collins on 'The Source' that in one of their last conversations, Giuffre called for the release of the documents.
'She wanted the world to know what they've done to her and so many other survivors, and she had been fighting that till her very last day,' Roberts said.
Giuffre, a prominent Epstein accuser who also alleged that Britain's Prince Andrew abused her when she was a teenager, died by suicide in April at the age of 41. In 2019, Epstein died awaiting trial on federal charges accusing him of sexually abusing underage girls. His death was ruled a suicide.
Prince Andrew repeatedly denied the claims.
President Donald Trump, who had decadeslong ties to Epstein, said earlier this week that the sex offender poached young women from Mar-a-Lago, including Giuffre, who worked at Trump's resort as a teenager.
'I think she worked at the spa,' Trump said of Giuffre. 'I think that was one of the people, yeah. He stole her.'
Sky Roberts, Giuffre's brother, on Thursday took issue with Trump's use of the word 'stole,' telling Collins, 'She wasn't stolen, she was preyed upon at his property, at President Trump's property.'
'Stolen seems very impersonal, feels very much like an object, and these survivors are not objects,' Roberts said.
He added that Trump's comments raise questions about 'how much he knew during that time.'
The White House has said Trump barred Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club 'for being a creep.' Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
Earlier Thursday, Giuffre's family expressed shock and raised questions about Trump's relationship with Epstein in a statement to CNN. Those comments were first reported by The Atlantic.
Sky Roberts on 'The Source' also weighed in on a top Justice Department official meeting last week with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's accomplice who has also offered to testify before Congress, but with major conditions, including immunity.
Giuffre 'was preyed upon by Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as many other predators out there. But she was preyed upon at Mar-a-Lago and we were very shocked and very surprised that they were giving her a voice and giving her a platform to essentially, possibly make a deal,' Sky Roberts said.
Lanette Wilson, Giuffre's sister-in-law, added that she doesn't 'see any real reason to speak with' Maxwell.
'She has perjured herself in the past and … we're talking about a sex trafficker, a monster that could do unspeakable things to young women without conscience,' Wilson added. 'So what would she do to get herself out of the situation that she's in?'
Maxwell was never tried or convicted of perjury. She initially faced perjury charges, but prosecutors later agreed to dismiss after Maxwell's conviction on more serious charges, citing a desire to avoid further emotional trauma for the victims.
In recent weeks, Trump has been noncommittal when asked about the possibility of a pardon or commutation for Maxwell. But a senior Trump administration official said Thursday that Trump is not currently considering clemency.
Sky Roberts told Collins that Maxwell 'deserves to rot in prison where she belongs because of what she's done to my sister and so many other women.'
Meanwhile, Wilson stressed that the possibility of Maxwell receiving immunity or a pardon sends a chilling message.
'It does send a message to the survivors that, you know, if you're in power, if you've got money, if you've got connections, then you're above the law,' Wilson said, later adding: 'It's just sending a message to survivors that their voices and all of the hard work that they've done for the last however many years, 10-plus years, doesn't matter.'
Sky Roberts also told Collins that he wants two questions answered: 'When are we going to start believing survivors?' and 'Why aren't the documents being released?'
'They deserve justice. These survivors were — had something taken away from them they can never get back,' Sky Roberts said. 'And it's time for these monsters to be exposed and get something they can never get back, which is their freedom.'