Epstein Survivors Say They Felt 'degraded' And A 'lack Of Empathy' From Ag Pam Bondi

Six survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s maltreatment and 2 family members of different accuser said they felt "degraded" during Wednesday's contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing successful which Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to look them and apologize.

Several Epstein survivors and relatives were coming connected Capitol Hill, wherever Bondi was grilled by lawmakers for complete 5 hours connected respective matters, including nan Justice Department's handling of nan Epstein case. She was specifically questioned connected why released files were heavy redacted and why respective survivors' names were not.

“There was specified a deficiency of empathy today. There was specified a deficiency of, honestly, humanity today,” Dani Bensky said connected NBC’s "Hallie Jackson NOW."

At 1 constituent successful Wednesday's hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., asked for Epstein survivors successful nan room to guidelines up and raise their hands if they hadn’t had nan opportunity to meet pinch nan DOJ. Every azygous 1 raised their hand.

Jayapal past asked Bondi to move toward nan survivors and apologize. Bondi did neither of those things.

"Something that I deliberation each of america felt a small devastated astir was that she had 3 opportunities to reside survivors. We stood up and each she had to do was move astir and she could not moreover move astir and look us," Bensky said.

Bensky has said she was 17 and a budding ballerina successful 2004 erstwhile Epstein sexually abused her astatine his Manhattan mansion.

“I felt for illustration specified a shade stepping done Epstein’s mansion. I felt for illustration location were truthful galore group who saw me. There were truthful galore group who should person spoken up," Bensky said.

"Now, to not person AG Bondi move astir and admit us, it’s nan nonstop aforesaid type of victimization," she continued.

Teresa Helm, who alleges Ghislaine Maxwell groomed her and that she was sexually abused by Epstein successful 2002 erstwhile she was 22, said of nan hearing: “There was nary integrity successful that room today, it seems like, erstwhile it came to Epstein and Maxwell.”

Epstein, a politically connected convicted activity offender, died by termination successful 2019 while awaiting proceedings connected charges of activity trafficking minors. Maxwell, his co-conspirator, was convicted successful 2021 connected national activity trafficking charges and is serving a 20-year situation sentence.

Sharlene Rochard said Wednesday that she felt “really degraded” and that Bondi was “not taking astatine each immoderate accountability” regarding survivors. Rochard has said she met Epstein arsenic a teen erstwhile she was moving arsenic a exemplary successful New York.

In her opening remarks, Bondi did reference Epstein’s victims, saying: “I americium profoundly sorry for what immoderate victim, immoderate victim, has been through, particularly arsenic a consequence of that monster.”

Jess Michaels, different accuser, said that while Bondi apologized for Epstein's crimes, she did not apologize for "the crimes of nan cover-up." Michaels accused Bondi of being a portion of nan alleged cover-up.

Marina Lacerda criticized Bondi and nan DOJ for allowing nan names of survivors to beryllium published successful nan latest trove of files.

"She sat location successful nan beginning, she said sorry for what Jeffrey Epstein did to us, but yet she couldn’t apologize for what she did to us, what her section did to us," Lacerda said. "You had 1 occupation — was to redact our names, to respect our privateness — but yet you cautiously took nan clip to redact each these powerful, rich | men." (The Department of Justice on Tuesday released nan names of 3 group nan FBI erstwhile called co-conspirators of Epstein's aft lawmakers complained that nan names had been improperly withheld.)

Lacerda has said she was 14 erstwhile she met Epstein, lured into his mansion nether nan pretense of being paid to springiness massages.

When pressed Wednesday connected why survivors' names were included successful nan released files, Bondi said, “We did nan champion we could, immediately.”

Asked whether immoderate Epstein co-conspirators would beryllium prosecuted, Bondi said her section has pending investigations. She did not elaborate connected who aliases what was being investigated.

"Who, what, where, why, when? We don’t person immoderate information," Bensky said. "I would deliberation that they would travel to america to get that information."

Bensky, Helm, Rochard, Lacerda, Michaels and chap Epstein accuser Liz Stein each indicated nary of them person heard from nan Justice Department. Sky Roberts — nan relative of Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Guiffre, who died by termination past twelvemonth — and his woman Amanda Roberts said they, too, person not heard from nan DOJ.

All said they want much prosecutions.

Amanda Roberts said her precocious sister-in-law "named complete 40 names successful sealed depositions and unfastened depositions." However, she said, nan DOJ still has not acknowledged aliases investigated those people.

Guiffre had claimed that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to nan erstwhile Prince Andrew successful nan early 2000s erstwhile she was 17. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles past year, reached a ineligible colony with Giuffree successful 2022 for an undisclosed sum but has denied having had activity pinch her, arsenic good arsenic any wrongdoing connected to Epstein. He has ne'er been charged.

Guiffre's relative described Wednesday's proceeding arsenic "gaslighting."

"You know, she’s [Bondi] like, 'Any subsister tin travel guardant and talk to us.' Well, first, you don’t really person an open-door policy," Sky Roberts said.

"I dream nan American group tin proceed to guidelines down us," he added. "I dream that they tin request justice, because realistically, this justness needs to happen."