Democrats Bringing Epstein Survivors to SOTU

Democrats will be making a point about the Jeffrey Epstein files Tuesday night during President Trump's State of the Union address via their invited guests. NBC News reports that more than a dozen House Democrats are bringing survivors or their relatives. Reps. Ro Khanna, Hakeem Jeffries, Jamie Raskin, and others have invited women who say they were abused by Epstein, along with relatives of accusers, as part of a coordinated push for greater transparency and accountability. Khanna, a co-author of the Epstein Transparency Act, is hosting Haley Robson, who says Epstein began trafficking her at 16; Jeffries is bringing survivor Marina Lacerda; while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will be joined by survivor and advocate Dani Bensky. Newsweek has a complete list.

Several Democrats are going further by skipping Trump's speech and sending Epstein survivors in their place, including Reps. Maxine Dexter and Pramila Jayapal, who say their guests' presence is meant to pressure the administration over unreleased or heavily redacted Epstein files and what survivors describe as a "two-tiered" justice system. Rep. Robert Garcia is bringing survivor Annie Farmer, then heading to an alternative "People's State of the Union" event on the National Mall with other progressives. The president's speech starts at 9pm Eastern, and Trump says it's going to go long.