Today marks the one-year anniversary of Virginia Giuffre’s death. One of the bravest Epstein survivors, she refused to let the men who hurt her get away with it and demanded public accountability. Today at a memorial service, her brother said she had turned her “pain into purpose.”
And she did, forcing people—powerful people—to pay attention to survivors. Prince Andrew is no longer a prince. The Epstein survivors have shown no indication that they’re ready to walk away now. They forced Congress to pass a law that requires turnover to Congress of the Epstein Files. Trump is fighting a war in Iran, and there has been at least some suggestion that it was an effort to distract the public from those files, and from allegations that surfaced just before the war began that Trump himself had raped a 13-year-old girl. It does not appear that those allegations were ever fully investigated and the truth of that matter isn’t clear. Just as the files include mention of many other rich and powerful men, and their role is not clear: Were they participants? Witnesses? Were they aware of what was going on and failed to report it? Did they participate in a cover up? Much of the truth is in those files, but the Justice Department’s new leader, Todd Blanche, has said he’s done releasing material. In early April, he told Fox News’ Jesse Watters that the files “And so I think that to the extent that the Epstein files was a part of the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward.” About 2.5 million documents are said to remain undisclosed, and the documents that have been released are heavily redacted, frequently obscuring the identity of perpetrators. And there has been reporting to suggest that approximately 30 pages of documents regarding the allegations about Trump and a minor girl have not been released. Congressman Jamie Raskin believes the distraction won’t work. He said today that the “process of holding people to account had become an ‘irreversible reckoning.’” Virginia Giuffre wrote in her book: “If it helps just one person—I will have achieved my goal.”
Announced just last week, this year’s Time Magazine List of “The 100 Most Influential People of 2026” included Rachel Foster and Lauren Hersh. The two co-founded the group World Without Exploitation, which has helped the survivors develop their strong public voice and build the sisterhood that has enabled their demand for justice. Recognizing their work confirms Representative Raskin’s conclusion. These women are not going anywhere until there is accountability for the people who harmed them.
On Thursday, the Justice Department’s Inspector General Office announced that it would begin an investigation into whether DOJ is in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The IG’s website clarifies its role: “The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is a statutorily created independent entity that detects and deters waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct in the DOJ, and promotes economy and efficiency in the Department’s operations. The Inspector General, who is appointed by the President subject to Senate confirmation, reports to the Attorney General and Congress.” The IG is a quasi-independent actor, positioned somewhere between the executive branch and Congress, which has, in the past, given it the ability to criticize the current administration. Whether or not that is still true remains to be seen. But slowly, and inexorably, the survivors are demanding justice, and they point to Virginia Giuffre and their desire to honor her as motivation. A single act of sexual assault can radically alter the course of a life. In many cases, the Epstein survivors suffered repeated acts of abuse over an extended period of time, only to be ignored when they went to law enforcement, discounted when Epstein received his sweetheart plea deal in Florida, and treated as though they themselves were at fault. They deserve more than just empathy—they deserve justice. What has become clear with the release of the files is that very powerful men, and even some women, in this country and in other countries, were involved in or at least complicit in concealing a ring that trafficked young girls internationally. There has to be accountability for the past to secure girls' and women’s futures. As for us, we owe it to the survivors to refuse to forget, to refuse to be distracted. It is all of our voices, all of our focus, that will help the survivors get to the truth. And all of us deserve that. We’re in this together, Joyce You're currently a free subscriber to Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance . For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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