MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
We begin this hour here in Washington, where today more than a dozen survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein spoke out at a rally on Capitol Hill. For hours, survivors, including Marina Lacerda, identified in Epstein's 2019 indictment as Minor-Victim 1, shared their stories.
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MARINA LACERDA: They have documents with my name on them that were confiscated from Jeffrey Epstein's house and could help me put the pieces of my own life back together.
KELLY: The rally was part of a bipartisan effort to go around House leaders to compel the government to release the records. NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales is following this. Hey, Claudia.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Hey, Mary Louise.
KELLY: So just remarkable. This is the first time the public is hearing from some of these survivors. And as we noted, it went on for hours.
GRISALES: Right.
KELLY: What stood out to you?
GRISALES: Right, it was, as you said, very remarkable and unprecedented. Hundreds gathered with signs to support survivors and pushing for transparency. And also, it was a reminder these survivors want to be humanized and they want closure after decades of suffering. I talked to the family of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a high-profile survivor who died by suicide earlier this year. Here's her sister-in-law, Amanda Roberts.
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AMANDA ROBERTS: She fought for this to the very last day she was here. And so we just feel this pull to pick up that torch, to pick up that mantle to make sure that her voice stays alive.
GRISALES: So many of these survivors - they still need answers that are in these files, like Marina Lacerda, who we heard at the top, who spoke out publicly for the very first time. She says in order to heal, she needs to access her memories in these files and the worst part is knowing the government has information that she does not.
KELLY: Right, and part of the issue has been that her personal experience and some of these other women is at the center of a political brawl and that all of the allegations that President Trump is trying to cover up - the extent of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein - and so is refusing to release the documents. How did these survivors respond to all that?
GRISALES: Well, they say Republicans hold the key to ensuring this never happens again by releasing the records. They argue many have yet to be held to account. But Trump told reporters at the White House today that this is just a political stunt.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It's really a Democrat hoax because they're trying to get people to talk about something that's totally irrelevant.
GRISALES: And this is also salt in the wound. Many survivors were visibly distraught today by Trump's repeated references to this as a Democratic hoax.
KELLY: Well, to remind, this all became a hot political issue because Trump and Republicans promised to release the files on the campaign trail. Where do Republicans stand now on the release?
GRISALES: Well, leaders are backing a House oversight committee probe into the case, but survivors and lawmakers that have signed on to this petition to force the release of these records say that falls short. So we're seeing this new splintering of the party as a small, albeit loud, group of Republicans are being led by Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie to force a vote on this records release. For example, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Nancy Mace of South Carolina are also on board with Democrats, but they still need two more Republicans to sign on to this so-called discharge petition to override leadership and get this bill to the House floor.
KELLY: And just briefly, Claudia, what comes next in this whole controversy?
GRISALES: Well, survivors said today they are going to compile their own list of participants in this sex trafficking network if Congress and President Trump do not act. And the oversight committee will also continue their work. They've issued dozens of subpoenas, so more records are expected to be released, and they're seeking more interviews with witnesses.
KELLY: NPR's Claudia Grisales, thank you.
GRISALES: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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