Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein will return to Palm Beach, Florida, for a congressional hearing on abuses linked to him. The hearing aims to expose a controversial 2008 plea deal and investigate the recruitment of young girls for Epstein's trafficking ring.
Key points
Survivors return to Palm Beach for a congressional hearing
Hearing focuses on abuses linked to Jeffrey Epstein
Aim to expose a controversial 2008 plea deal
Investigating recruitment of girls for Epstein's trafficking
Allegations connect Donald Trump to Epstein's activities
Mentioned in this story
Jeffrey EpsteinDonald TrumpPalm Beach
Survivors of r Jeffrey Epstein will return to the “scene of the crime” in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday for a shadow congressional hearing into abuses committed by the late sex offender.
Several members of the Democratic House oversight caucus are scheduled to join the victims and several expert witnesses at the hearing close to Epstein’s former waterfront mansion where he procured girls as young as 14 to perform sexual services for wealthy guests.
They hope to bring more exposure to a “sweetheart deal” between Florida prosecutors and Epstein in 2008 that allowed him to escape federal charges. They also hope to look into the recruitment of the girls, some allegedly from Donald Trump’s nearby Mar-a-Lago residence.
The scandal, and the release of millions of government documents that have come to be known as the Epstein files, have dogged Trump’s second presidency. One Epstein email released in November stated “of course [Trump] knew about the girls” procured for his sex-trafficking ring, and another that said Trump “spent hours” with one victim at Epstein’s house.
The president has consistently denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of the activities of Epstein, who he said he dropped as a friend years earlier.
Authorities say Epstein took his own life in federal custody in New York in July 2019 awaiting trial of sex trafficking charges.
Tuesday’s gathering is a shadow hearing, and witnesses are not compelled to testify under oath. Democrats have no subpoena power, and there will be no input from Republicans.
But California Democrat Robert Garcia, ranking member of the House oversight committee, said the field hearing was an important step in bringing attention to Epstein’s crimes and supporting his victims.
“Palm Beach 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,” a statement by Garcia announcing the hearing said.
“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.”
Q&A
What is the purpose of the congressional hearing in Palm Beach regarding Jeffrey Epstein?
The hearing aims to expose abuses committed by Epstein and scrutinize a 2008 plea deal that allowed him to avoid federal charges.
Who will be attending the hearing on Epstein's abuses?
Several members of the Democratic House oversight caucus, survivors, and expert witnesses are scheduled to attend the hearing.
What allegations are being made against Donald Trump in relation to Epstein?
Allegations suggest that girls were recruited from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence for Epstein's trafficking activities, with emails indicating Trump was aware of the situation.
What impact did the Epstein scandal have on Donald Trump's presidency?
The Epstein scandal and related documents have raised questions about Trump's knowledge of Epstein's activities, affecting his second presidential campaign.
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They included Virginia Giuffre, who worked as a spa attendant at Trump’s club at the age of 16 in 2000, when she said she was recruited by Epstein’s associate and “fixer” Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.
Giuffre was one of the most prominent voices in exposing Epstein, and appeared in an infamous March 2001 photograph with Maxwell and the discredited British former royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whose arm is around the then 17-year-old’s waist.
Giuffre died by suicide in Australia in April 2025, with her family saying at the time: “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
Several survivors are expected to speak about their own experiences on Tuesday, at the hearing and a press conference that will follow it.
Democrat Ayanna Pressley, the Massachusetts congress member, arrived in Palm Beach for the hearing on Monday evening, and she posted on Facebook her expectation of the proceedings.
“Just touching down in Palm Beach for a committee field hearing to return to the scene of the crime, where so many young girls were first victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” she said.
“Of course, this is a fight for the Epstein survivors, but for all survivors. We’re looking to create a blueprint for accountability, to call out the systemic harms and abuses that not only occurred for the Epstein survivors, but are happening right now in communities all across this country.
“A reckoning is on the way.”
The hearing is set to begin at 10am ET and will be streamed live on the YouTube page of the oversight committee Democrats.
The panel has previously been critical of the committee’s Republican majority for refusing to hold formal hearings. It has accused its chair, Kentucky congressman James Comer, of helping the White House to cover up the Epstein scandal.
Comer denies the allegation.
Meanwhile, attorney Jack Scarola, who is representing several of Epstein’s victims, told local media on Monday he was not sure if he would attend.
“If those legislators who are here are really motivated to do something productive, holding another press conference with Epstein victims lined up behind them for another photo opportunity is not going to advance the interests of those survivors,” he told Palm Beach ABC News affiliate WPBF.
“File a bill, work on that legislation, get it passed, and do something substantive that will help avoid a recurrence of the Jeffrey Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell fiasco.”
