Virginia congressman bringing alleged Epstein victim to State of the Union | wusa9.com

WASHINGTON — Another Democratic member of congress has announced plans to bring an alleged Epstein survivor to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

Northern Virginia Congressman James Walkinshaw said on Saturday that he planned to bring Jess Michaels.

Michaels says she was sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein in 1991 at the age of 22.

“For far too long, truth has been buried, survivors have been silenced, and powerful people have been protected. And I can’t help but wonder…does our government belong to the American people or to those who prey on them?” said Michaels.

Michaels is a TEDx speaker and survivor-advocate, and founder of 3Joannes, Inc., where she created 3Js Sexual Assault First Aid Kit™ and the #WithYouToo Social Safety app.

“For years, Jeffrey Epstein built a system of abuse that relied on powerful allies and enablers who helped him hide in plain sight and kept survivors from being heard. The truth is coming to light because survivors of Epstein’s abuse have shown extraordinary courage and refused to be silenced. I’m honored to host Jess Michaels as my State of the Union guest, and I’m grateful she accepted my invitation,” Walkinshaw said.

Walkinshaw’s fellow Northern Virginia Democratic Congressman Suhas Subramanyan and Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin say they are bringing the family of the late Virginia Giufre, a prominent Epstein accuser who died by suicide.

President Trump’s friendship with Epstein has never been a secret, but its full extent has become much more apparent since the Department of Justice began releasing files connected with its investigation into the late disgraced financier.

Convicted on charges that are widely regarded as light in 2008, Epstein was arrested on much more serious sex trafficking charges in 2019. He allegedly died by suicide in a cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.

The Epstein files' revelations have sent shockwaves through the halls of power — implicating politicians at the highest level of governments past and present, as well some of the most prominent business figures and intellectuals in the world.

The Democrats have not gone unscathed, with both Bill and Hillary Clinton among the files' more famous names, as well prominent Obama administration figure Larry Summers, among others.