NBC Asks Epstein Survivors for ‘Dirt’ on Trump — It Backfires Spectacularly

Six women who say they were trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell gathered in Washington, D.C., Tuesday with a unified demand: the full release of federal investigative files, and a clear rejection of any possibility of a pardon for Maxwell.

The survivors also dismissed efforts to drag President Donald Trump into the scandal, refusing to back “unsupported claims” of wrongdoing.

Jess Michaels, who says Epstein raped her in 1991 at the age of 22, told NBC News: “Epstein was a master manipulator. That was a strategy that was honed. That was a strategy that no young woman, no teenage girl had a chance — not a chance against his psychopathic skills.”

Michaels said she stepped forward because of what she described as a “severe miscarriage of justice” and “delay in accountability.”

Other survivors — Wendy Avis, Marijke Chartouni, Jena-Lisa Jones, Lisa Phillips, and Liz Stein — echoed the call for transparency. Their press event coincided with the Republican-led House Oversight Committee releasing more than 33,000 pages of Epstein-related documents.

Jones, who says she was first abused by Epstein at just 14 years old, described the complicity of adults who surrounded him: “There were many, many adults around [Epstein’s] properties that may not have participated but very clearly knew what was going on. And they’re not saying anything, and why are they still not saying anything and speaking up on our behalf?”

Avis, who also says she was abused at 14, spoke publicly for the first time. “Not everybody is getting justice, and that’s not right,” she said.

Stein criticized the Justice Department for failing survivors: “We haven’t been protected, and we haven’t been informed.”

Congressional Republicans have ramped up their focus on Epstein since returning from recess. House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) is pushing to depose Maxwell, pending Supreme Court review of her 2021 conviction. At the same time, the House GOP introduced legislation Tuesday calling for deeper investigation into the Justice Department’s “possible mismanagement” of Epstein-related probes.

Bipartisan voices are also demanding action. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) joined accusers Wednesday in urging immediate release of Epstein files. They are spearheading a discharge petition that could force a House vote if enough members sign on.

President Trump has supported transparency on Epstein documents, diverging from some conspiracy theories circulated in Washington about the case. Notably, the panel of accusers underscored that Maxwell herself, in newly released Justice Department interview transcripts, denied seeing inappropriate conduct by Trump — directly contradicting efforts by some Democrats to smear him by association.

Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors. She is appealing her conviction, but survivors say they will not rest until accountability reaches all those who enabled the billionaire predator.

Lisa Phillips, who says Epstein groomed and assaulted her in the 1990s, vowed to keep pressing for justice regardless of government delays. “We’ve been compiling lists of our own,” she warned. “Please come forward, and we’ll compile our own list and seek justice on our own.”