This seems to have been organized by renegade NeverTrump RINO Thomas Massie, and Democrat (with presidential ambitions) Ro Khanna, so I'm skeptical of the ultimate motive here.

Women who said they were sexually abused by deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein commanded the attention of Capitol Hill on Wednesday as they urged Congress to pass legislation to expose the extent of his alleged sex trafficking network.

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) called the press conference outside the Capitol and were joined by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and the sexual abuse survivors asking for passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would force the full release of the criminal files with redactions to protect the victims.

Many survivors spoke outside of the Capitol in a press event that Greene said was the biggest in crowd size of her time in Congress. It was the day after Massie and Khanna introduced a petition to force a vote on their transparency bill, saying they would not be silenced until the full files are released.

"The only motive for opposing this bill would be to conceal wrongdoing," survivor Anouska De Georgiou said at the press conference. "You have a choice to stand with the truth or with the lies that have protected predators for decades.

"I am no longer weak, I am no longer powerless, and I'm no longer alone, and with your vote, neither will the next generation be. President Trump, you have so much influence and power in this situation, please use that influence and power to help us because we need it now, and this country needs it now."

The survivors were accompanied by large demonstrations outside the Capitol, holding signs and joining them to call for a full release of the files.

Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Nancy Mace (R-SC), and Greene signed on to the discharge petition after Mace left a House Oversight Committee meeting with the victims in tears. Along with Massie, they are the only Republicans on the petition as of Wednesday morning.

The so-called "discharge petition" must reach 218 signatures for it to force the speaker to call a vote on it. After the petition reaches that threshold, the member can call a vote after seven legislative days. Most, if not all, Democrats are expected to sign on to the petition, meaning only six Republicans would need to cross party lines to add their names.

Viva Frei wants to know why they turned this into a political event, instead of just naming the names that they personally know.

@thevivafrei

To recap the Epstein alleged-victim press conference from today:

They want closure and won't name the names of their alleged abusers?

They want to protect children and won't name the names of their alleged abusers?

They claim Virginia Giuffre is a "national hero" for naming names, then they refuse to do so themselves when given the biggest platform on earth?

They want to protect future victims, yet they are making a "confidential" list of their alleged abusers "for themselves"?

This press conference made their "plight for justice" sound more like their own threat / shakedown that has nothing to do with transparency, justice or closure.

That's what you get for getting certain lawyers involved, I guess...

In my humble opinion - and I have been one of the most vocal critics of Bondi's Epstein rollout (or lack thereof) - that press conference in fact did damage to the HR that @RoKhanna and @RepThomasMassie are putting forward by making it look more like political opportunism than a demand for transparency.

Will discuss on today's show.

This seems like a political stunt, or an attempt to get a publisher to offer millions to the group for a tell-all.

My problem is that opportunists looking for a paycheck will claim whatever is necessary for the biggest paycheck, and what would get them the biggest paycheck is making up stories about Trump.