Virginia Giuffre, the woman who survived years of Jeffery Epstein’s abuse and died by suicide earlier this year, wanted the so-called “Epstein files” released, her siblings said.
“She wanted everything that happened to her … to be released, and she was still fighting for that before she left us,” Amanda Roberts, Giuffre’s sister-in-law, told NBC News in an interview Thursday. “I think she wants what we all want is transparency and justice.”
In recent weeks, Giuffre has been in the headlines amid a renewed push for the release of a trove of documents that allegedly detail the years of abuse executed by Epstein and his longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Epstein “stole” Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago resort, where she worked as a locker room attendant in the summer of 2000 when she was 16.
The White House has said that Trump kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago “for being a creep.”
Sky Roberts, Giuffre’s brother, said the family was “shocked” by the president’s use of the word “stolen” to describe their sister. He said it makes him wonder how much Trump knew about what Epstein was doing.
“She’s not an object, she’s a person,” Roberts said through tears. “She’s a mom, she’s a sister. And she was recruited by Maxwell. She wasn’t stolen.”
Giuffre’s family put out a statement urging the president to not pardon Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role recruiting and trafficking minors for sex.
Trump was asked last week about pardoning Maxwell and responded that he hadn’t thought about it but said he’s “allowed to do it.”
A senior administration official told NBC News after the family statement was issued that “no leniency is being given or discussed.”
The family said they put out the statement because the president “invoked” their sister’s name, and in her absence, they felt they needed to represent her wishes.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, or go to 988lifeline.org, to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
