Haley Robson, victim of late financier Jeffrey Epstein, speaks during a press conference to discuss the Epstein Files Transparency bill, directing the release of the remaining files related to the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 3, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
During a bipartisan press conference held by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, September 3, survivors of billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein recalled their ordeals.
President Donald Trump described the event as a "Democrat hoax," but one of the speakers who joined Khanna and Massie was a major Trump supporter: MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia).
An Epstein survivor who The New Republic's Greg Sargent found especially compelling was conservative Haley Robson. And Sargent discussed her comments with Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts) when the congressman made a post-press conference appearance on The New Republic's podcast "The Daily Blast."
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Robson, on September 3, told reporters, "Mr. President Donald J. Trump, I am a registered Republican — not that that matters because this is not political. However, I cordially invite you to the Capitol to meet me in person so you can understand this is not a hoax. We are real human beings. This is real trauma. I would like Donald J. Trump and every person in America and around the world to humanize us, to see us for who we are, and to hear us for what we have to say. There is no hoax. The abuse was real."
Sargent argued that Robson's comments show "the absurdity" of Trump's "hoax line" in response to the Epstein controversy.
McGovern told Sargent, "Well, I watched the press conference, and I brought up the powerful testimony of some of the survivors on the House floor. And previously, Trump said this was a Democratic hoax supported by stupid Republicans. And then, after the press conference, he repeated that line that this was a Democratic hoax designed to get people to focus on something that was irrelevant. Those are his words. It was 'irrelevant.'"
The Massachusetts lawmaker continued, "You can't listen to that press conference of these survivors and not be horrified and heartbroken and just disgusted by all that has happened. And to call what happened to them 'irrelevant,' it's disgusting and it's pathetic. And again, what's even more pathetic is that rank-and-file Republicans, during the debate on the rule on the floor today, never even raised concern about Trump's language — just basically moved on. These survivors deserve better, and we're going to keep on fighting until they get the files released."
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Listen to the full "Daily Blast" podcast at this link or read the transcript here.