Frustrations mount among survivors about House Democrats’ selective releases of Epstein files and photos

By Annie Grayer, MJ Lee, CNN

(CNN) — A number of Jeffrey Epstein survivors voiced their concern in a private meeting with female Democratic lawmakers earlier this week about the intermittent disclosure of Epstein-related documents and photos by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, sharing that the selective publication of materials was distressing, four sources familiar with the call told CNN.

The video call with members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus featured multiple Epstein survivors, some of their representatives and a number of female House Democrats – some of whom told the survivors that they understood their distress and that they even shared in their concerns.

Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury, who also serves on the oversight panel, told the survivors in the meeting that she would relay their concerns back to the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Robert Garcia. She also said that she had already had some conversations with lawyers on the committee about how they were choosing which photos to release, and made clear that she herself was not happy about not getting much of a heads-up before the committee’s releases, according to the sources.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, another member of both the Democratic Women’s Caucus and oversight committee, agreed with Stansbury’s perspective. She told the group that she is committed to making sure that lawmakers are not causing Epstein survivors additional harm and trauma.

“Rep. Stansbury does not comment on private discussions with survivors and between colleagues. She stands with survivors in seeking justice and ensuring their safety and privacy,” Stansbury communications director Matt Jansen told CNN.

Since last week, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released batches of photos that they’ve received from the Epstein estate. The photos have lacked context and mark a small portion of the 95,000 photos that committee members and staff are still sorting through. Democrats have redacted personally identifiable information about Epstein victims and survivors.

The disclosures have prompted some Republicans to accuse Democrats of cherry-picking information to release for political reasons. Since the Epstein estate started provided information to the committee, Democrats have highlighted smaller amounts of materials at a given time, while Republicans have taken a different approach and released larger tranches.

The most recent disclosure came on Thursday, when the House oversight panel’s Democrats released yet another batch of approximately 60 photos.

“Oversight Committee Democrats have always informed the legal teams and representatives of the survivors before any release, and we will continue to do so,” Garcia’s spokesperson Sara Guerrero told CNN in a statement. “The privacy of all survivors is a priority for the committee and all of its members.”

One source told CNN that some survivors did receive a heads-up from the oversight committee that new photos would be released on Thursday, though it is not clear how much detail, if any, about the contents of the images were shared ahead of time.

After members advocated to provide survivors notice in advance of releasing materials, Garcia informed Democrats on the oversight committee on Thursday morning ahead of the release what was included and shared that the survivors’ legal representatives were notified on Wednesday, according to an adviser familiar with conversations.

CNN has reached out to representatives for Pressley for comment.

The growing concerns about the ways in which Epstein-related documents have been released to the public in recent months come on the eve of the Justice Department’s expected release of its Epstein files. The deadline mandated by law for the department to do so is Friday. But there’s little clarity on what information the DOJ is set to release.

CNN exclusively reported Thursday that frustration is mounting inside the DOJ as it races to redact thousands of pages of files related to Epstein. A substantial number of redactions are needed, one source said, and the documents each attorney is processing since Thanksgiving week can number more than 1,000.

The head of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, told CNN on Thursday that she understands that going through the 95,000 photos received from the Epstein estate and determining what should be released to be public is a daunting task. Still, she stressed, Epstein’s victims must be prioritized.

“There is an effort to make sure they inform the survivors and whether every survivor gets informed in advance I think that’s an issue,” Fernández said. “I do think it is important that we always remember that this whole process is a constant re-traumatization for survivors. And we need to be always grateful for them.”

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