Victims of disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hosted a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol to pressure the government to release more details about the investigation into Epstein and his crimes.
The group, joined by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, indicated its members are building their own list of Epstein's alleged clients.
"We know the names, many of us were abused by them," said Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips, per CBS News. "We're not quite sure how we're going to release that or even if we're going to ... [but we will] confidentially compile the names we all know, who were regularly in the Epstein world, and it will be done by survivors and for survivors—no one else is involved."
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice and the FBI announced that their review found that Epstein died by suicide and had no long-rumored list of high-profile clients. The announcement was met with skepticism from the public, but Trump and many Republicans have made repeated efforts to dismiss any speculation that the government departments are lying.
Annie Farmer, one of the key witnesses during the trial of Epstein's co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, said there needs to be "a thorough public review" of the Epstein files.
"We are not going away, we are not going to be quiet, and we are not going to give up," Farmer said. "At a time with record high levels of distrust in our institutions, and a perception that there are two Americas—one for those with power and privilege and one for everyone else, passing this Epstein Transparency Bill is one important step that can be taken to prove to Americans that the government does not side with sexual perpetrators."
Victim Marina Lacerda also spoke publicly about her experience with Epstein for the first time during the press conference and said she was just 14 when she met him.
"Our government could have saved so many women, but Jeffrey Epstein was too important, and those women didn't matter," Lacerda said. "Why? Well, we matter now. We are here today, and we are speaking, and we are not going to stop speaking."
Near the start of the press conference, Khanna thanked the survivors for their courage.
"A nation that allows rich and powerful men to traffic and abuse young girls without consequence, is a nation that has lost its moral and spiritual core," said Khanna, who alleged that there are "corrupt, special interest forces" blocking the release of the full files on Epstein.
"There is something that is rotten in Washington," Khanna said. "We are demanding today, on the discharge petition, that all of the files be released."
Massie also called on his fellow Republicans to come together and demand clarity on the Epstein investigation.
"I hope my colleagues are watching this press conference," he said, noting that only a small number of signatures from Republicans would force a vote on the House floor.
Trump was dismissive of the efforts from the victims on Wednesday. When he was asked by a reporter about the press conference, Trump described the pressure about releasing more information regarding Epstein as "a Democrat hoax."
"You know, it reminds me a little of the Kennedy situation [assassination], we gave them everything. Over and over again. More and more and more. And nobody's ever satisfied," Trump said. "I know that no matter what you do, it's going to keep going. ... I think we're probably having, according to what I read, even from two people in this room, we're having the most successful eight months of any president ever. And that's what I want to talk about. That's what we should be talking about. Not the Epstein hoax."