Rubén Gallego: “I have come to the floor three times now to call for release of the Epstein files. Earlier today, the House voted to…”

“I have come to the floor three times now to call for release of the Epstein files. Earlier today, the House voted to release the full files, and later today, I hope, this Chamber will do the same. Before we vote, I want us to remember what is really at stake here. This isn't about Democrats versus Republicans. It is about real girls who were hurt, abused, and trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and the powerful people who surrounded him. One of those girls was Virginia Roberts Giuffre. She was forced to stay silent for years, but today I want to let her speak in her own words. Virginia was just 16 when she started working at Mar-a-Lago where she met Epstein's recruiter Ghislaine Maxwell. She writes in her memoir: Maxwell says she knows a wealthy man--longtime Mar-a-Lago member, she says--who is looking for a massage therapist to travel with him. . . . My lack of experience doesn't concern her a bit. I'm sure you'd be terrific,'' she insists, looking me up and down. ``Will you come for an interview?'' Even today, more than 20 years later, I remember how excited I felt. Could my dreams of becoming a professional masseuse be coming true so quickly? Something about how this proper, well-spoken lady focused on me made that seem possible. I told her I had to get permission from my dad first, but that I really wanted to come. That wealthy man, we all know now, was Jeffrey Epstein. That moment began years of trafficking and abuse for Virginia.…”