Epstein survivors have mixed feelings on Melania Trump's call for hearing in Congress
Epstein survivors have mixed feelings on Melania Trump's call for hearing in Congress
First Lady Melania Trump delivers a statement at the Grand Foyer of the White House on April 9, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong/Getty Images
Following a shockwave-inducing public statement from First Lady Melania Trump—firmly denying any meaningful ties to Jeffrey Epstein and dramatically calling for a congressional hearing—survivors of the late sex offender’s abuse have responded with deeply divided reactions.
Speaking from the White House on Thursday, Trump declared she was not a victim of Epstein, had no knowledge of his crimes, and was never introduced to President Donald Trump by him. She then escalated the moment by urging Congress to take decisive action.
“Epstein was not alone,” she stated. “I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors. Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress.”
In a statement to NPR, the Department of Justice reaffirmed: “As we have always stated, we encourage any victims of Jeffrey Epstein — who wish to speak — to contact the FBI. Any survivor who has information on an abuser is encouraged to contact federal law enforcement.”
Later that same day, a coalition of 15 Epstein survivors fired back with a powerful statement, accusing the first lady of “shifting the burden” onto victims in order to shield powerful institutions—including the Department of Justice, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Trump administration itself.
“Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony,” the statement read. “Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice.”
The White House did not immediately respond to NPR’s inquiries regarding the backlash or clarify why the first lady chose this moment to speak out.
Among the survivors who signed the statement was Marina Lacerda, identified in a 2019 indictment against Epstein as Minor-Victim 1. Shortly after the press conference, she posted a video on Instagram openly questioning whether such a hearing would produce any real results.
“You want to retraumatize us and ask us to go in front of Congress and tell them our story, which we have told some of them already,” Lacerda said. “And then do absolutely nothing.”
In a separate response, sisters Maria and Annie Farmer—both of whom have said they were abused by Epstein—called for “accountability, transparency, and justice.”
“If the federal government is truly committed to supporting survivors, it would ask us what we want and should follow the facts wherever they may lead,” their statement said.
Yet not all voices were critical. Alicia Arden, who says Epstein assaulted her in a hotel when she was a young model, told NPR she is ready—and willing—to testify. She also described Melania Trump’s statement as courageous.
“I’m willing to testify before Congress about what Jeffrey Epstein did to me and how I was attacked in the room,” Arden said.
The Justice Department has released millions of pages of documents tied to Epstein—detailing his personal life, connections, crimes, and inner circle. Within those files are multiple references to President Trump. However, an NPR investigation in February revealed that certain documents mentioning the president were initially withheld before some were later made public. To date, Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell remain the only individuals in the files to face criminal charges, despite numerous high-profile names being referenced.
Arden emphasized that “everything has always needed to come out” regarding the files, insisting the public deserves continued access to the truth. She added that whether other survivors choose to testify should remain entirely their decision.
“If they feel like it’s a burden to them, then they don’t have to,” Arden said. “I don’t feel like it’s a burden on me. It helps me to keep talking about it.”
Arden filed a police report before Epstein was indicted in 2006—a decision she now views as both terrifying and transformative.
“I was so scared, and I’m really happy that I did it because everyone’s happy that I did it now because it’s on file,” Arden said. “The other victims that didn’t get to do it, I did it for them.”
“I hope that we get to testify before Congress,” she added. “If Melania would like to be with us, I think that would be nice and helpful if we were… testifying next to her.”
The White House did not respond when asked whether the first lady would consider appearing alongside survivors.
Gloria Allred, an attorney who has represented 27 Epstein survivors—including Arden—said she welcomed the first lady’s statement but warned that survivors must not be compelled to testify.
“I don’t think any one survivor or even any one lawyer should decide this for everyone because there reportedly are over a thousand survivors,” Allred said. “It’s time for them to have control over their own decisions.”
Neither Allred nor Arden indicated they had been contacted by members of Congress regarding concrete plans for a hearing. Allred also urged Melania Trump herself to testify, calling it a “powerful example.”
“How many will be willing to testify if that hearing comes? I don’t know,” Allred said. “I don’t know if they can even feel that they can trust the system anymore.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers from both parties are rallying behind the first lady’s call for action.
California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said he supports holding a public hearing for Epstein’s victims and urged Committee Chairman James Comer to act immediately.
“We encourage Chairman Comer to respond to the First Lady’s request and schedule a public hearing immediately,” Garcia said.
Comer did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.
South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace praised the statement, declaring: “As a survivor, this isn’t political—it’s personal. And when the First Lady of the United States stands up and demands justice for Epstein’s victims, it is truly momentous.”
THE CORRUPT COP PULLED OVER THE WRONG WOMAN — THEN HE POINTED A GUN AT AN FBI AGENT 🔥
A corrupt Texas cop stole from drivers for years… until he pulled over the wrong woman.
The barrel of Officer Harlon Quill’s gun flashed under the brutal Texas sun, pointed straight at Delaney Voss’s chest.
Heat lifted off the blacktop in waves. Gravel snapped under her shoes. Behind her, the rental SUV ticked softly as the engine cooled, and the dry smell of dust, hot rubber, and old roadside weeds sat heavy in the air.
Still, Delaney did not scream. She did not shake. She did not look away.
Quill smiled like he had already won.
Like a woman alone on a forgotten stretch of East Texas highway, with out-of-state plates and a paper coffee cup in the console, was just another easy stop.
He had no idea he had just pulled over the wrong person.
Three days earlier, at 7:18 p.m., Delaney’s younger brother Ronan called her from a gas station bathroom outside Austin and tried to sound calm. He failed before he got through her name.
He was supposed to be on his way to college orientation. He had saved for months, skipped dinners, picked up extra warehouse shifts, and kept his tuition money in a worn bank envelope because the school office had told him the deadline was final.
Then a local officer stopped him.
No warning. No clear reason. Just flashing lights, a hand near a holster, and a voice telling a nineteen-year-old kid that cash in a car looked suspicious.
By 7:46 p.m., Ronan’s tuition money was gone.
No police report. No seizure receipt. No case number. No property inventory. The only thing Ronan had managed to keep was a rushed photo of the citation before the officer snatched it back.
One name was visible at the bottom.
Harlon Quill.
Delaney did not drive to Cedar Ridge for revenge. She drove there for answers, and answers have a way of making guilty people behave exactly like themselves.
Officially, she was on administrative leave. Unofficially, she was behind the wheel of a rental SUV on a two-lane Texas road, dressed like any other tired woman passing through: jeans, plain gray T-shirt, sunglasses, hair pulled back, phone mounted on the dash, and a hidden camera tucked low enough to catch the driver’s window.
Corruption rarely announces itself. It smiles. It calls you sweetheart. It asks one harmless question while its hand is already near your wallet.
Delaney needed to know if Quill was one rotten badge, or if everyone around him had learned to look away.
So she drove under the speed limit.
Calm. Clean. Perfect.
At 2:13 p.m., she passed a barbecue sign half-bleached by the sun. A small American flag snapped from a pole outside a feed store down the road. She saw the patrol car tucked behind the sign before it moved, but she kept her face neutral and her hands steady.
The cruiser slid out behind her.
At first it stayed back. Then it crept closer until the grille filled her rearview mirror.
Delaney tapped the brake once, just enough to mark distance.
That was all he needed.
Red and blue lights exploded behind her.
“Here we go,” she murmured, easing onto the gravel shoulder.
She shut off the engine, rolled down both front windows, and placed her hands on top of the steering wheel where he could see them. Basic procedure. Clear movements. No drama.
But men like Quill were never looking for safety.
They were looking for obedience.
He stepped out of the cruiser like the road belonged to him. Big shoulders. Heavy boots. One hand loose near his weapon. The other carrying nothing but attitude.
When he reached her window, he did not greet her.
“You know how fast you were going, darling?”
“Below the speed limit, officer.”
His laugh was dry enough to match the weeds. “My radar says different. Reckless driving in a construction zone.”
“There hasn’t been a construction sign for miles.”
The smile came off his face.
“You calling me a liar, girl?”
“I’m stating a fact,” Delaney said. “And I’d appreciate you not calling me that.”
That was enough.
His voice hardened. His shoulders moved closer to the window. He ordered her out of the vehicle.
Delaney knew the law. She knew he did not have probable cause. She also knew people like Quill did not fear the law in the moment. They counted on everyone else fearing them more.
She opened the door slowly.
The heat hit her full in the chest. Quill did not step back. He crowded her against the SUV, forced her hands onto the hood, and dropped the oldest lie in the dirty-cop playbook.
“I smell marijuana.”
Delaney felt a cold line run down her spine.
Not because she believed him.
Because she knew what came next.
His hands moved over her with slow, ugly confidence. Then his eyes landed on the bag in the passenger seat.
“What’s in there?”
“My identification,” Delaney said. “And my badge.”
Quill barked out a laugh. “Your badge? What are you, mall security?”
Delaney turned her head just enough for him to hear every word.
“I’m a special agent with the FBI. And you are making a very serious mistake.”
For one second, the whole roadside seemed to hold its breath.
The weeds stopped moving. The cruiser engine hummed. A pickup slowed in the far lane, then kept going. Even Quill stared like the sentence had reached him in a language he did not want to understand.
Then he laughed again.
“Sure you are.”
Delaney reached one careful hand toward the open passenger door.
“I’m going to retrieve my credentials.”
“Don’t move!” he roared.
In a blink, the Glock was out.
The gun stayed pointed at her chest.
Inside the SUV, the hidden camera kept recording. The weapon. The distance. The anger in his face. The way his finger rested too close to the trigger.
But what Quill still did not understand was that this was not the moment Delaney broke.
It was the moment his world began to crack.
Because while he stood there smiling with a gun in his hand, Delaney looked past his shoulder at the reflection in her side mirror…
And saw the nose of a second vehicle rolling slowly onto the shoulder behind his cruiser.
No siren.
No hurry.
And for the first time since the stop began, Officer Harlon Quill’s smile twitched.
**My Sister-in-Law Drugged My Son as a “Prank” — Then Police Found the Prescription With a Name That Terrified Me**
MY SISTER-IN-LAW DRUGGED MY SON
My sister-in-law suddenly offered to take my son, Caleb, to Liberty Oak Park.
It was the last thing I expected from Amber.
Two hours later, my eight-year-old niece, Lily, called me sobbing.
“Auntie Sarah… please come! Mommy said it was just a prank, but Caleb won’t wake up!”
My blood ran cold.
I drove to the park like a woman possessed.
When I reached the edge of the woods, I saw my son lying motionless on the grass.
His face was pale.
His breathing was barely there.
And Amber?
She was leaning against a tree, calmly scrolling through her phone.
I dropped to my knees beside Caleb.
“What did you do to him?”
Amber sighed.
“Stop overreacting. He was being impossible, so I gave him something to calm him down. He’ll wake up soon.”
I stared at her in disbelief.
“You drugged my son.”
“It was just a little sedative,” she said coldly. “Maybe if you actually knew how to control him, I wouldn’t have had to.”
My hands shook as I called 911.
Within minutes, paramedics were fighting to keep Caleb alive.
At the hospital, every second felt like a countdown.
Then Detective Miller entered the room.
His expression was grim.
“Ms. Carter, your son was not given an ordinary sedative.”
I froze.
“We found a dangerous combination of powerful prescription drugs and alcohol in his system. His heart could have stopped at any moment.”
My stomach twisted.
Then Miller dropped the second bomb.
“Amber claims she found the medication in your bag. She says you were responsible, and she only tried to cover it up.”
I almost laughed.
Of course.
Amber had already prepared a story.
But Miller shook his head.
“We don't believe her.”
He placed a small evidence bag on the table.
Inside was an empty prescription bottle.
“Lily told us what she saw. She watched her mother crush pills into Caleb’s drink.”
My eyes filled with tears.
“And she showed us where Amber threw this bottle.”
Miller turned it over.
The label was still visible.
“It’s a prescription for high-potency sedatives.”
He paused.
“The prescription is registered to someone else.”
I stared at the name.
My entire body went cold.
Because the person listed on that bottle…
was someone I knew.
Someone who had absolutely no reason to be anywhere near my son.
And suddenly, Amber’s “prank” looked nothing like a prank.
