TRANSCRIPT: Ahead Of The State Of The Union, Leader Schumer And Epstein Survivor Dani Bensky Stand Together To Demand Justice For Survivors And The Immediate Release Of The[...]

Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Dani Bensky, an Epstein survivor and one of Leader Schumer's State of the Union guests, joined the Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC) press conference with fellow Epstein survivors to demand justice ahead of the State of the Union. There, Leader Schumer called on the Trump administration to release the full Epstein files in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and demanded Republicans help pass Virginia's Law. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Leader Schumer: The truth must come out. Trump says he's going to give a long speech tonight, but there's one thing he refuses to talk about: the Epstein files. Trump campaigned on releasing the files, but now one year into his presidency, he calls them a hoax. Shame on him. He says the American people need to move on. We're not moving on, are we?

Epstein Survivor: No.

Schumer: That is outrageous to say move on. That's an insult to the victims and the survivors standing behind me. For years, survivors of Epstein's abuse were ignored, they were doubted, they were dismissed. But their presence here at the State of the Union sends a clear, powerful message. Survivors will not be silenced.

The powerful will be held accountable. We will not rest until that happens. And no one, not even the President, is above the law. Trump cannot continue to bury the truth. The full Epstein files must be released now. Nearly every single member of both chambers, Democrat, Republican, Independent, voted for the Epstein Files Transparency Act. But for three months, Trump's Justice Department has broken the law. Blacking out page after page. This is their version of releasing the files. That's it. It's all they do. You see?

Epstein Survivor: Shame.

Schumer: Shame is right. This is not transparency. It's a cover-up. Survivors deserve justice. That's why I'm proud to have introduced Virginia's Law with Democratic Women's Caucus Chair, Leger Fernandez, thank you, thank you so much, to eliminate the federal statute of limitations, barriers that have kept too many survivors from pursuing justice. There can be no half measure of justice. The American people and the brave survivors standing behind me deserve the full truth. And a statute of limitations on something like this, when women go through things that are so painful and have to wrestle and grapple with it for the rest of their lives? It should be up to the victim when there's a prosecution. Not up to some law that has no knowledge, really, in a certain sense, of what these people have gone through.

When President Trump looks into the crowd tonight to give his speech, he will also look into the faces of the survivors behind me. Trump knows he can't keep hiding. Trump knows it's time to end the secrecy and release the full Epstein files. Now, he says he doesn't know it, but he will know it. We're going to make him know it. That's why you're here tonight. The survivors have waited long enough. The time for justice is now, and I truly want to thank the many Epstein survivors standing with us here today. You've undergone an unimaginable pain, an unimaginable pain. You can't make it go away. It happened; you've lived with it. But these beautiful people, instead of cursing the darkness that is part of their lives because of what happened to them, are lighting a candle. Lighting a candle to make sure this doesn't ever happen again. Thank you for that courage. Thank you for that inspiration. And now I want to turn it over to Dani Bensky. She's a New Yorker and a survivor who I'm so honored is my guest at the State of the Union tonight.

Dani Bensky: I'm an Epstein survivor from 2004-2005. I was 17 years old when I met Jeffrey Epstein. Back then I was a teenager, but I was really a child. I was looking for an adult to help protect me from what felt like monsters, only to find that the monster was him all along. Now I look to the government for help, and they're no better. Gaslighting and manipulating victims, the same tactics as Jeffrey and Ghislane. The DOJ assures us that they're focused on our safety, but only to exploit us further. There are two cases happening here. Two cases of abuse. The first case is one that we endured while we were ensnared in the largest sex trafficking ring that this country has known to date. And the second is the abuse of our government. They're covering everything up and protecting power, not the young and the vulnerable.

As we prepare to attend the State of the Union, survivors and this country have so many questions that need to be answered. The first one is, where are the rest of the files? The truth must come out. Why are there no investigations when there are plenty of people in these files to investigate. Have we read them?

Why is the FBI director out there partying like a college kid when he should be investigating the vast criminal enterprise? This administration needs to do better. How can anybody feel safe in this country when our President's sympathies are going to the former Prince Andrew and not to survivors? There are a few things that really need to be done immediately versus the release of all of the files, which we know. Next is to hold accountable those who continuously exploit. And the third is to pass Virginia's bill. We need to pass Virginia's bill because justice should never ever expire. Release the damn files.

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