Jeffrey Epstein survivors to return to Palm Beach, Florida, for House hearing

Survivors of r Jeffrey Epstein will return to the “scene of the crime” in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday for a shadow congressional hearing into abuses committed by the late sex offender. Several members of the Democratic House oversight caucus are scheduled to join the victims and several expert witnesses at the hearing close to Epstein’s former waterfront mansion where he procured girls as young as 14 to perform sexual services for wealthy guests. They hope to bring more exposure to a “ sweetheart deal ” between Florida prosecutors and Epstein in 2008 that allowed him to escape federal charges. They also hope to look into the recruitment of the girls, some allegedly from Donald Trump’s nearby Mar-a-Lago residence. The scandal, and the release of millions of government documents that have come to be known as the Epstein files, have dogged Trump’s second presidency. One Epstein email released in November stated “of course [Trump] knew about the girls” procured for his sex-trafficking ring, and another that said Trump “spent hours” with one victim at Epstein’s house. The president has consistently denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of the activities of Epstein, who he said he dropped as a friend years earlier. Authorities say Epstein took his own life in federal custody in New York in July 2019 awaiting trial of sex trafficking charges. Tuesday’s gathering is a shadow hearing, and witnesses are not compelled to testify under oath. …