Jena-Lisa Jones, an Epstein survivor, says President Trump should apologize after he delayed making files tied to Jeffrey Epstein public. Jones said she had hoped Trump would push for transparency but felt betrayed when he dismissed the matter as political. After the president signaled support for disclosure, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act requiring the Department of Justice to release unclassified records. Survivors say the documents are essential for validation, accountability, and preventing future abuse.
‘He Owes Us an Apology’: Epstein Survivor Rebukes Trump After Delay in Releasing Files
Jena-Lisa Jones, an Epstein survivor, says President Trump should apologize after he delayed making files tied to Jeffrey Epstein public. Jones said she had hoped Trump would push for transparency but felt betrayed when he dismissed the matter as political. After the president signaled support for disclosure, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act requiring the Department of Justice to release unclassified records. Survivors say the documents are essential for validation, accountability, and preventing future abuse.
12:13 AM, 11/20/2025Politics
Jena-Lisa Jones, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse, said Tuesday that President Donald Trump should apologize to victims for delaying the public release of files tied to Epstein’s alleged trafficking operation.
Jones made the remarks during an interview with Kaitlan Collins, saying the prolonged process “didn’t need to be” and that an apology would be one way for the president to show remorse.
"He owes us an apology for sure. And I think that would be one way of showing some remorse for this drawn-out process that didn’t need to be."
Jones said she had voted for Trump in part because she hoped his administration would press for transparency about Epstein’s network and expose wealthy individuals allegedly connected to the crimes. She described feeling betrayed after Mr. Trump initially appeared cooperative and later dismissed the effort as a political ploy.
"This release of these files has been so important to me for so long that when he ran with that, I really had some hope... But then he completely flipped. It was really hard to go from helping us to completely turning on us, and then calling it a 'Democratic hoax' when he knew it wasn’t."
The president wrote on his social platform that House Republicans should vote to release the files and accused Democrats of weaponizing the issue to distract from their political agenda. Following that shift in tone, Congress moved quickly: the House approved the Epstein Files Transparency Act with a single dissenting vote, and the Senate passed it unanimously. The legislation now goes to the president, who has indicated he will sign it.
The bill directs the Department of Justice to disclose all unclassified records and documents related to the Epstein investigation and related estate records.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), explaining her support, said the change is meant to "enforce transparency and integrity at the highest levels of government" and to help bring those involved to justice so survivors can find closure.
Survivors who traveled to the Capitol pressed lawmakers for the records. Sharlene Rochard told interviewers she wants access to the files not for publicity but to obtain proof and validation of what happened.
"I'm hoping that they're going to do the right thing and release everything, especially even just our own files so we know what just happened to us... We just want proof that this happened to us as well in many different ways. And we want to help other girls so this doesn’t happen again."
Victims and advocates argue that public disclosure of unclassified records will offer survivors confirmation, support potential prosecutions, and help prevent future abuse by exposing networks and failures in oversight.