Survivors of Epstein’s Abuse Attend State of the Union, Advocate for Transparency

Annie Farmer, one of approximately twelve survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse who attended the State of the Union address on Tuesday, has a firm message: “We’re not going away.”

Both Annie and her sister Maria suffered abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, during the 1990s.

“Our presence was a reminder that transparency is still lacking, and we continue to demand it,” Annie Farmer told the California Post.

Maria, recruited by Epstein to assist with art purchases, urged the FBI to investigate him for child pornography as early as 1996, but authorities allegedly took no action.

Maria has also claimed she was sexually assaulted by both Epstein and Maxwell.

In May, Maria filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and the FBI, citing negligence and emotional distress.

Annie publicly testified at Maxwell’s trial in 2021 that she visited Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico at the age of 16, where Maxwell gave her a nude massage and groped her. Epstein later went into bed with her to “cuddle,” according to Farmer. 

She told the Post that all the remaining files pertaining to Epstein should be released. 

“I would hope that people would follow up on these investigative leads so that we could get true accountability and also just a sense of connecting the dots and understanding for ourselves, what happened here, what went wrong, why was this allowed to go on for so long,” Annie said. 

A sentiment echoed by Lauren Hersh, the co-founder of World Without Exploitation, the largest anti-trafficking coalition in the country that worked with victims to push lawmakers for the release of the Epstein Files. 

“The DOJ said that there was six million files and only about three million of them have been released,” Hersh said. “So, we want the last half or so of the files to be released.” 

Hersh said she was hoping Trump would acknowledge the victims who were in attendance during his record-breaking speech the lasted nearly two hours, but underscored the intention was to keep the pressure up and get accountability. 

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“We have not seen any sort of meaningful investigation into the leads that currently exist in the Epstein Files that have been released, and it seems to me that there are a number of places to initiate investigation,” Hersh said. 

In recent days, several high-profile figures overseas — including disgraced ex-Prince Andrew and former British Ambassador to the US Lord Peter Mandelson — were arrested in connection to Epstein.

In the United States, however, the fallout has largely taken the form of resignations and public apologies.

Former Harvard president Larry Summers announced he would fully resign as a professor over his past ties to Epstein, and billionaire Bill Gates apologized for his association with the financier, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“We have to be critical of what type of accountability they are really receiving,” she said. “They may be stepping down from one position but still in a position of power, still in the company, still receiving a large salary.” 

However, Farmer underscored that the “story isn’t going away.”