“Not only was their innocence corrupted and their bodies violated and their lives changed, their very rights were violated…and I’m working closely with survivors for a legislative fix of restorative justice.”

Pressley, Oversight Democrats Hold Field Hearing Centering Survivors of Epstein’s Abuse

Video (YouTube)

PALM BEACH, FL – Today, during a press conference following a field hearing on the Epstein investigation led by House Oversight Committee Democrats, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) made an impassioned call for accountability, healing, and restorative justice for survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse. After hearing firsthand from survivors—many of whom shared how they were harmed not only by Epstein and his co-conspirators, but also by the institutions that failed to deliver accountability—Rep. Pressley uplifted their stories, highlighted the emotional harm and financial hardship that many survivors are forced to carry, and emphasized her commitment to taking legislative action that centers restorative justice.

The field hearing, led by Ranking Member Robert Garcia, was held as part of the Epstein investigation in Palm Beach, Florida, where many of Epstein’s crimes and subsequent failures of accountability took place.  The field hearing included testimony from survivors and important witnesses in the investigation.

As a survivor of sexual abuse herself, Congresswoman Pressley has been a dedicated advocate for survivors’ justice and has led committee Democrats in calling for a full Congressional hearing to ensure survivors’ firsthand accounts are heard.

A transcript of Congresswoman Pressley’s remarks at a press conference following the hearing is available below and the video is available here. Footage of her question line during the hearing is available here.

Transcript: Following Palm Beach Hearing, Pressley Calls for Accountability, Healing, & Restorative Justice for Epstein Survivors

House Oversight Committee Field Hearing

May 12, 2026

REP PRESSLEY: We’re here at ground zero for where Epstein’s crimes occurred—crimes that were moral crimes, civil crimes, criminal crimes, crimes that I would consider, really, against humanity.

Given the systemic harm caused by really what was a global enterprise of trafficking girls, [it’s] impossible for me to not think about my own 17-year-old daughter. 

Again, you see grown women before you who are courageous in their refusal to be silent, but they were mere girls. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. Talented artists, dancers, aspiring teachers, lawyers, models.

Their bodies were violated. Their dreams devastated. Their lives irreparably harmed.

When you are violated in such a way as a child, it changes—on a very foundational and deep level—who you are. Forever. Your ability to love, to receive love.

But it’s not only an emotional toll, and certainly the cost of trauma is a high one.

But there are also economic expenses—an inability to pursue a job, to keep a job, 20 years of, 30 years, three decades of legal fees that no one was counting on. 

And not only was their innocence corrupted and their bodies violated and their lives changed, their very rights were violated. 

The Crime Victims’ Rights Act grants individuals who are victims of federal crimes specific enforceable rights, including protection from the accused, reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of public proceedings, and the right to be heard. 

It ensures victims are treated with fairness, dignity and respect. 

Well, that did not happen. 

Their rights were violated, and I’m working closely with survivors for a legislative fix of restorative justice. 

That’s what brings us here today—to learn from the survivors, to identify failures, to hold predators and abusers accountable.

And although I commend the survivors for their courage, I look forward to a day where survivors do not have to relive their trauma in order to compel action from their government. 

And finally, although this is a fight specifically for justice, accountability, and healing for our survivors—who deserve so much more than sympathy, which is why I’m seeking to advance a legislative restorative justice fix, to acknowledge the economic abuse and financial hardship that many of them still carry today. 

But this is a fight for all survivors that are victims of sexual assault and human trafficking.

And so for that, to ensure that there is no erasure, I want to acknowledge the incredible work of Tarana Burke of the MeToo movement, Amber Tamblyn, and many more. And in my own district of the Massachusetts 7th, My Life My Choice and the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center.

This is a fight for all survivors. 

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Palm Beach, Florida is where Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes first came to light, and where prosecutors offered Epstein a sweetheart deal that allowed him to continue his crimes. Palm Beach is also home to Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s primary residence and private club. During the many years of friendship between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, multiple women were recruited for Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, including Virginia Guiffre. The Wall Street Journal reports that spa employees from Mar-a-Lago, usually young women, were sent to Epstein’s nearby residence for massages, manicures, and other spa services. Epstein referenced Mar-a-lago in a 2019 email to Michael Wolff, released by Oversight Democrats, when he said, “of course Trump knew about the girls.”

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