Epstein Survivors Release PSA Urging Congress to Unseal Files, Insisting the Fight Isn’t Partisan

Survivors call for transparency ahead of House vote

Several women who say they survived abuse by Jeffrey Epstein appear in a new public service announcement produced by World Without Exploitation, urging Congress to unseal all records related to Epstein. The short video, released ahead of a scheduled House vote, directs viewers to a page where they can send automated letters to their members of Congress in support of disclosure.

Danielle Bensky, one of the survivors featured, described the PSA as "a call to action" and said the organizers hope it gives people a concrete way to advocate. "While we are Epstein and [Ghislaine] Maxwell survivors, we are standing for so many victims of sexual assault and of domestic violence, as well," she told NBC News.

"Many people scroll and they see our stories, and they want to find a way to advocate, and they’re not really sure how. We really want to tell people that you can get out there and you can do this for yourself and be a part of what’s starting to really feel like a movement." — Danielle Bensky

The PSA shows survivors holding photos of themselves from the ages they say they first encountered Epstein, the financier who moved in elite, well-connected circles. "There’s about a thousand of us," one participant says in the video. "It’s time to bring the secrets out of the shadows."

Annie Farmer, whose sister Maria Farmer is believed to have filed an early criminal complaint against Epstein in 1996, emphasized that the call for disclosure is about accountability and not partisan politics. Farmer noted alleged investigative failures across multiple administrations and urged lawmakers to release the files so the full record is available to the public.

"Please remember that these are crimes that were committed against real humans, real individuals. This is not a political issue. My sister Maria Farmer reported this under the Clinton administration...so many things have happened over the decades that were law enforcement failures in this case." — Annie Farmer

Bensky has said she was 17 and a young ballerina in 2004 when she says Epstein sexually abused her at his Manhattan home. Both Bensky and Farmer were among survivors who wrote a letter thanking Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for supporting the effort to release Epstein-related files — a stance that diverged from some of Greene’s Republican colleagues.

Survivors reacted to recent disclosures of a trove of Epstein-related documents made public by lawmakers on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, saying the tone and content of some material confirmed patterns of misogyny and classism they had long experienced. They expressed hope that the disclosures signal a move toward greater transparency.

Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in a federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on federal sex-trafficking charges and was sentenced in 2022; reports indicate she has sought relief or commutation. Although survivors emphasize the issue should not be politicized, the case has repeatedly become a flashpoint on Capitol Hill. Some of the released emails reference former President Donald Trump; last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to examine Epstein’s ties to financial institutions and political figures while denying any involvement in Epstein’s crimes.

The PSA from World Without Exploitation aims to translate attention into action by giving viewers a direct way to urge lawmakers to unseal files and ensure survivors’ accounts and related documents are publicly accessible.