“This Is Not a Hoax”: What We Learned From Today’s Epstein Victim/Survivor Press Conference Dean Blundell Sep 3 Survivors and bipartisan members of Congress at the Epstein Files press conference on Capitol Hill. *SEPTEMBER ONLY: 50% OFF. Monthly, Annual, and Founding plans. 🔒 Lock in the half-price rate forever. Founders pay once—never again. Ends September 30, 2025 (11:59 pm ET). CONTENT WARNING Sexual abuse of minors; trafficking Today on Capitol Hill, survivors stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a bipartisan bloc—Republicans Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, and Democrat Ro Khanna—demanding a floor vote to release the full Epstein Files with strict protections for victims. It was a jarring visual: MTG aligned with Democrats on transparency while urging her own caucus to stop slow-walking the truth. TL;DR — Trump’s “Hostile Act” Threat A warning reportedly told House Republicans that signing the discharge petition to force a full, unredacted release of the Epstein Files would be treated as “a very hostile act.” At the same time, House leadership tried to smother the effort with a massive document dump—tens of thousands of pages, much of it duplicative or already public. Meanwhile, a bipartisan petition led by Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna is just a handful of GOP signatures from forcing a vote. If transparency is harmless, why threaten it? Readers can—and should—pressure their representatives to sign and vote YES on a real release that protects victims and exposes government-held truths. The Moment of Clarity There are political quotes that land like confessions. Calling Congress’s push for sunlight a “hostile act” is one of them. It’s not the language of confidence; it’s the language of fear. Not fear of “process.” Fear of what a truly comprehensive, unredacted (victim-protected) release might reveal about who knew what, who enabled what, and who looked the other way. This isn’t a routine transparency skirmish. It’s a separation-of-powers fight over the most radioactive public-interest case in a generation. What Actually Happened Today 1) The pre-emptive paper blizzard. House investigators rolled out a giant file dump—thousands upon thousands of pages. It sounded big. But much of it appears to repackage already-available material and duplicates. Quantity isn’t transparency. 2) The real mechanism for sunlight. A discharge petition from Massie (R) and Khanna (D) would force House leaders to bring up a bill compelling a full release of government-held Epstein records with robust victim-privacy protections. Discharge petitions need 218 signatures; Democrats are largely in, and the math comes down to a small bloc of Republicans. 3) The pressure campaign. GOP members were reportedly warned that helping the petition move forward would be considered “hostile” to the administration—an obvious attempt to freeze the last few signatures needed to tip the petition over the top. The Document-Dump Deception Big numbers create headlines; they also create fog. A dump of tens of thousands of pages lets leadership claim “we released everything” without actually releasing the everything that matters—unfiltered, unredacted records that clarify timelines, gatekeepers, contacts, approvals, and government awareness. True transparency is: Comprehensive: emails, memos, logs, inter-agency comms, correspondence. Usable: public, searchable, and minimally redacted (only for victim privacy and legally protected categories). Binding: mandated by law, on a clock, with narrow redaction rules that can’t be gamed. Survivors’ Voices: Recruit. Groom. Pay. Silence. Who spoke (among others): Marina Lacerda, Haley Robson, Courtney Wild, Annie Farmer, and the family of Virginia Giuffre. Their stories rhymed in devastating detail: Targeted as kids: Many were 14–16 the first time they were approached. Maxwell’s role: Speakers described grooming under a “massage” pretext, followed by normalization, coercion, and escalation. Chain recruitment: Each girl was pushed to recruit other girls, for cash “finder’s fees.” The payouts: $200–$500 per assault—small money masking a massive criminal enterprise. Global reach: Several said they were trafficked and passed around to powerful men from New York to Saudi Arabia to Russia to Israel. The name-dropping: One survivor described Epstein bragging about his powerful friends—including Donald Trump. “This is not a hoax.” The Bipartisan Moment You Weren’t Expecting Massie + Khanna are driving the discharge petition to force a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Why it matters: With 218 signatures required and Democrats largely in, the effort is a handful of GOP signatures away from sunlight. The split: Republicans Marjorie Taylor Greene and Nancy Mace signaled support for more openness, while leadership tried to declare the vote “moot” because of the document dump. It’s not moot if the dump is mostly déjà vu. The Flyover That Drowned Out Testimony As survivors spoke, deafening jet flyovers tied to a visiting Polish delegation roared over Washington—disrupting audio and rattling nerves. Survivors and advocates said the timing compounded trauma and overshadowed their appeal. Whatever the intent, the optics were awful. They spoke anyway. Trump’s Response — “Hostile Act”: The Pressure Campaign If you’re not guilty, don’t act like it. Threat: Republicans were reportedly warned that signing the discharge petition or backing the Transparency Act would be treated as “a very hostile act” against the sitting president. Spin: The White House called the survivors’ push a “Democrat hoax,” while claiming “the files” have been released—even as survivors point out the dump was largely duplicative and not a full release. Goal: Freeze the last few GOP signatures needed to cross 218 and keep the gate shut. Tell: When transparency is framed as an attack, that’s not confidence—it’s fear of what real records will reveal. “You don’t threaten sunlight unless you’re afraid of what it shows.” If Congress Stalls, Survivors Say: We’ll Name Names Survivors (Lisa Phillips) indicated that if Congress refuses to act, they’ll compile and release their own associate list: “We know the names.” That’s not a stunt—it’s a warning. What Justice Looks Like (No More Games) Pass a real law that guarantees: Comprehensive scope (emails, logs, inter-agency communications, correspondence). Narrow redactions only (victim privacy, legally protected categories). Public, searchable access (not just behind committee walls). Deadlines and oversight (with penalties for non-compliance). Signature Scoreboard (We’ll update this if the GOP grows a spine) Goal: 218 signatures to force a vote Current total: [ 216] Democrats signed: [ ] / 212 Republicans signed: [ 4] Public GOP supporters (add as confirmed): Thomas Massie Marjorie Taylor Greene Nancy Mace Lauren Boebert Republicans needed to hit 218: [ ] Last updated: [ Today ] What Happens Next (48–72 Hours) Signature watch: Will enough Republicans sign the discharge petition to force a vote? Leadership test: Will House leaders allow a clean vote, or hide behind another paper blizzard? Senate posture: Will a companion push align behind the same victim-first transparency standard? Survivor escalation: If Congress balks, expect a public associate list from survivors. How You Can Help (Copy/Paste for Calls & Emails) “I support the Epstein Files Transparency Act and the discharge petition to force a vote. I want a full, public release with victim protections, not another document dump. Please sign and vote YES.” Ask for receipts: “Will you publicly confirm your signature on the petition and support a clean vote?” Editor’s Note Allegations raised today are survivor accounts. The demand is simple: a lawful, comprehensive release that protects victims while exposing the full government-held truth. Thanks for reading! This post is public, so feel free to share it. FAR AND WIDE…