A growing chorus of Jeffrey Epstein survivors say they’re done waiting for the government to spell out who enabled the financier’s sex-trafficking empire, and they’re drafting a “client list” of their own.
In an NBC News interview, six women described an effort to sift through emails, flight logs, and personal records to identify powerful figures they believe should face public scrutiny. One survivor, Lisa Phillips, urged others to come forward: if the government won’t release a list, “a lot of us survivors” will build one themselves.
“We are here and we refused to be erased.”
A group of Jeffrey Epstein victims holding their own press conference in front of the Capitol before a 10:30 presser alongside Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie. pic.twitter.com/fOhaN5OYxf
— Joe Khalil (@JoeKhalilTV) September 3, 2025
The push follows months of political brawling over the so-called Epstein files. After Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of pages of material this week, most of it already public, survivors and lawmakers from both parties blasted the drip-drip of documents and demanded full transparency. Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna are now fronting a bipartisan transparency push, with survivors appearing alongside them at the Capitol to keep the pressure on.
Fueling this new survivor-led effort is a July declaration from the Justice Department: there is no single, incriminating “client list” sitting in federal files. The DOJ and FBI’s review also said investigators found no evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent associates. That finding infuriated activists across the spectrum and undercut earlier chatter from Attorney General Pam Bondi’s allies that a list existed and might be on her desk.
Survivors say the official stance only heightens the need for independent accountability. They explained how their informal lists are being assembled from flight manifests, emails, and firsthand accounts. They stress it’s not about conspiracy theories, it’s about naming alleged abusers and enablers whom they believe escaped scrutiny in life and in the years since Epstein’s death.
🚨MAJOR BREAKING: Epstein survivors just announced they will release their own list of names.
“We know who abused us. We saw who came and went. This list will be survivor-led—for survivors.”
The government stalled.
Now the victims are doing it themselves. pic.twitter.com/MtoazxpZb2
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) September 3, 2025
The emotional stakes are impossible to miss. The NBC segment featured relatives of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, who died by suicide in April in Australia, a loss that survivors say has galvanized their push. Her attorney and family confirmed the death this spring; loved ones have since shared personal notes and memorials while urging the government to release every last record.
On Capitol Hill, the fight over the files is broadening beyond flight logs. Lawmakers are clashing over access to Epstein-related Suspicious Activity Reports at Treasury, while survivors have thrown their weight behind the proposed “Epstein Files Transparency Act,” a measure that would compel fuller disclosure.
For far too long, survivors of sexual violence have been silenced by systems built to protect the powerful—including in this Chamber.
Today, we met and heard the stories of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein—some of whom shared their stories for the first time ever. What they… pic.twitter.com/8TJufnWc10
— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) September 2, 2025
Even as leadership touts recent document dumps, critics note that the releases have largely recycled what’s already public and still lack the sweeping clarity survivors were promised.
With officials insisting there’s no single “client list” to unveil, survivors are taking matters into their own hands, building dossiers, coordinating testimonies, and calling on anyone with knowledge to step forward. Whether Congress forces broader sunlight or not, the people Epstein hurt most say they’re prepared to name names themselves, and they’re not waiting for the next press conference to do it.
