WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) read excerpts of Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Girl, on the Senate floor.
Watch Senator Gallego’s speech HERE and read it below:
“I want us to remember what’s really at stake here. This isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans, it’s about real girls who were hurt, abused, and trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and the powerful people who surrounded him.
“One of those girls was Virginia Roberts Giuffre. She was forced to stay silent for years, but today, I want to let her speak in her own words.
“Virginia was just sixteen when she started working at Mar-a-Lago, where she met Epstein’s recruiter, Ghislaine Maxwell. She writes in her memoir:
“‘Maxwell says she knows a wealthy man— longtime Mar‑a‑Lago member, she says—who is looking for a massage therapist to travel with him. My lack of experience doesn’t concern her a bit. ‘I’m sure you’d be terrific,’ she insists, looking me up and down. ‘Will you come for an interview?’
“‘Even today, more than twenty years later, I remember how excited I felt. Could my dreams of becoming a professional masseuse be on their way to coming true so quickly? Something about how this proper, well-spoken lady focused on me made that seem possible. I told her I had to get permission from my dad first, but that I really wanted to come.’
“That wealthy man, we all know now, was Jeffrey Epstein.
“And that moment began years of trafficking abuse for Virginia.
“Later in her memoir, she writes: ‘I was about to spend more than two years in Epstein and Maxwell’s orbit. My job: to do whatever they asked whenever they asked it. There were no bars on the windows or locks on the doors. But I was a prisoner trapped in an invisible cage.’
“Those are the words of a child. A child who should have been safe. A child who should have been safe from predators like Epstein and Maxwell.
“She talks about how Epstein gave her money to rent an apartment so her parents wouldn’t question why she had to go to meet Epstein’s clients in the middle of the night.
“Here’s the thing, Epstein didn’t act alone. He had help. And the men who helped him target and abuse young girls and protected him are still out there walking around like nothing happened.
“This can’t just be another news cycle or another Tuesday. There needs to be justice.
“We owe it to Virginia Giuffre and every survivor of Epstein’s to finally get the full truth of how this happened and who allowed it to happen.
“That’s why I’m going to again call for the full release of the Epstein files.
“Let’s bring this evidence out, stop the secrecy, the cover-ups, and the protecting of these elites.
“The American people deserve the truth, and Virginia deserves transparency, accountability, and healing.
“At a press conference earlier today, another Epstein survivor said ‘Today we stand in a moment that will decide whether our government belongs to the American people, or to those who prey on them.’
“We owe it to her, and to every survivor, to chose accountability and release the files.”
Earlier today, Gallego joined dozens of his Senate colleagues in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) urging him to bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed the House of Representatives earlier today 427-1, to the Senate floor as soon as possible for a vote. The bill would require the Department of Justice to release all documents and records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, ensuring transparency with the American people and justice for the victims.
In July, Senator Gallego twice spoke on the floor calling on the Senate to pass his resolution urging the Justice Department to release the Epstein files. Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) objected and blocked its passage through unanimous consent both times.
11/18/25