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As a survivor of sexual assault, Pressley says effort to subpoena Epstein files is personal
Pressley said Epstein’s victims and the public “deserve transparency, accountability, and healing.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley voiced her staunch support for the House Oversight Committee’s successful endeavor on Wednesday to subpoena files related to the investigation into accused sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein.
Pressley, a sexual assault survivor, said Epstein’s victims and the public “deserve transparency, accountability, and healing.”
“For too long, powerful abusers and their enablers have operated in the shadows—shielded by institutions more interested in protecting predators than centering survivors,” Pressley said. “Today, we changed that.”
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform, of which Pressley is a member, voted Wednesday to subpoena the Justice Department to release the Epstein files, a motion led by Rep. Summer Lee and Ranking Member Robert Garcia.
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The motion passed in an 8-2 vote, with three Republicans voting in favor.
The full committee also issued a subpoena for Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell to testify in August.
The clash around files related to the Epstein investigation garnered national attention after President Donald Trump walked back campaign promises to release the files.
BREAKING: @OversightDems just subpoenaed the Epstein files.
— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) July 23, 2025
As a survivor of sexual assault, I know the pain & trauma survivors carry. This subpoena is a massive victory for every survivor who has ever been silenced, dismissed, or harmed.@TheJusticeDept must release the files… https://t.co/kL89NFur45
Pressley has spoken out before around justice for survivors of sexual misconduct and assault. She reintroduced an act aimed as combating workplace sexual harassment in June 2024 and has restated her support for LGBTQ+ and female victims in letters and statements.
“As a survivor, I think about my own experience every single day. It is a life sentence, and we cannot lose sight of the people harmed,” Pressley said. “The American people deserve to know why the Epstein files are still hidden and who is being protected, and the Trump Administration must release them immediately.”
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