Introduction to the Epstein Case
They feel, as one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims put it, like they’re “being erased.”
While a civil war rages in MAGA world over President Donald Trump’s decision to disavow conspiracies that his most ardent supporters stoked about Epstein being part of a deep state sex-trafficking cabal, the women who were victimized by the billionaire say their suffering is being sidelined by raw politics.
Four Epstein victims who spoke with NBC News say the Trump administration should be exposing any powerful men who shared Epstein’s penchant for vulnerable young women, not putting the brakes on any future prosecutions.
The Victims’ Stories
“You never really heal,” said Danielle Bensky, 38, who was a budding ballerina when she said Epstein abused her two decades ago. “And with what’s happening now, it feels like we’re being erased. All the brave women who came forward … all the work that we did to tell the world what happened to us, it’s all being erased.”
The victims spoke with NBC News recently as Trump tried to mollify supporters angered by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s announcement that the “client list” she claimed to have on her desk did not exist, and that Epstein’s death in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges was a jailhouse suicide and not a murder to silence him, as many believe.
Faced with what critics and allies are calling a severe threat to his presidency, Trump has alternately dismissed the furor as a “hoax” ginned-up by Democrats and ordered Bondi to release “pertinent” grand jury transcripts and other documents that could shed more light on the scandal.
Trump’s Involvement
On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump wrote a bawdy birthday letter for Epstein more than two decades ago. NBC News has not seen the original letter, and Trump has called it “a fake thing.”
Bensky said her heart sank earlier this month when Bondi, who had amplified Trump’s campaign promises to “demolish the deep state,” released a two-page memo stating there was no evidence of an “incriminating client list” of men who had sex with young women procured by the financier and that her office would not prosecute anyone else in the case.
“I felt a wave of sadness,” Bensky said. “All those years of trying to gain justice just negated. It was just two pages saying they were done investigating with no details about what happened to all of us. It’s like we never existed.”
The Impact on Victims
For other victims, Epstein’s reappearance in the news is like tearing the scab from a wound.
“The reality is, trauma is never a one and done,” Epstein victim Teresa J. Helm said by email to NBC News. “It’s complex. It can take a lifetime to repair oneself. Various things can initiate a trauma response, and that’s just daily life.”
Helm, who said she was hired to give Epstein massages and was sexually assaulted by him in the early 2000s, now works with sexual assault victims for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. She said whatever hope she had for getting a measure of justice is now gone.
The Investigation
Attorney David Boies represented one of Epstein’s best-known accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, who claimed in a 2016 deposition that Epstein and his now-imprisoned accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell forced her to have sex with several powerful men, including Prince Andrew.
The British royal acknowledged associating with Epstein and agreed to a settlement with Giuffre but denied the allegations.
Maxwell has filed a petition with the Supreme Court to vacate her 2021 conviction for recruiting and grooming teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse.
Boies said Trump, Bondi and others in the administration have only themselves to blame for reviving the Epstein saga.
“It’s coming up now because the administration made such a big deal that they were going to release a list of clients and, all of a sudden, they did a 180-turn saying we will not release anything,” Boies said. “If they never said anything there would have been only middling interest and conspiracy thinking. It’s the inconsistencies that fueled things.”
Conclusion
The handling of the Epstein case during the Trump era has added anguish to the victims of the billionaire’s sex trafficking ring. The Trump administration’s decision to disavow conspiracies and not release a "client list" has left many feeling erased and without justice. The victims and their advocates are calling for transparency and accountability, and for the administration to release any pertinent documents that could shed more light on the scandal.
FAQs
Q: What is the Epstein case about?
A: The Epstein case refers to the sex trafficking ring operated by billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of abusing and exploiting vulnerable young women.
Q: What has the Trump administration done in relation to the Epstein case?
A: The Trump administration has been criticized for its handling of the Epstein case, including the decision not to release a "client list" of men who had sex with young women procured by Epstein.
Q: How have the victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking ring been affected by the Trump administration’s actions?
A: The victims have expressed feelings of sadness, anger, and frustration, and have called for transparency and accountability in the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Q: What are the advocates for the victims calling for?
A: The advocates are calling for the release of any pertinent documents that could shed more light on the scandal, and for the administration to take action to hold accountable those who were involved in Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.
