Elizabeth Stein, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse, criticized the recent public release of Epstein-related court documents, saying the rollout exposed survivor information that should have been redacted under federal law and has fueled a politicized debate that can overshadow victims.
"As survivors, we were disappointed in this rollout of files," Stein told Newsmax's "National Report."
"We see a lot of pretty glaring problems with it."
Stein said survivors fought for the Epstein Files Transparency Act with bipartisan support, emphasizing that it required protections for victims.
"The law clearly stated that any information about survivors, their personal information, identifying information would be redacted," she said. Stein said those safeguards were not properly applied.
"What I've seen personally with my own information is that a lot of that has been released to the public when it shouldn't have been," she said, calling it "really concerning."
Stein also questioned why authorities have not pursued additional prosecutions.
"So I really don't understand why they don't feel like there is the need for any additional charges," she said. "As survivors, we have named names already in depositions. We have told our lawyers what has happened to us."
The release has drawn attention for including numerous prominent individuals. Stein cautioned that being mentioned does not equal guilt, but said some people listed may have relevant information.
"While not everyone who's mentioned in these files is necessarily guilty of any wrongdoing, they may have information about the crimes that were committed by Jeffrey Epstein," she said.
"And I feel like they have an obligation to come out publicly and talk about the things that they may have seen."
Stein urged the public to view the case beyond politics and celebrity.
"This is a human issue," she said, describing sex trafficking as the crime at the center of the case. "This is not a partisan issue. This is a crime that's been going on for five administrations."
She said it helps to "bring that down to a human level," describing how survivors are part of everyday life.
"I'm someone's daughter. I'm someone's friend. I'm someone's work colleague. I'm someone's aunt," Stein said. "When you kind of peel back the layers and you think about the women that you love in your life, could you stand by and let them go through this?"
Stein is a Stand Fellow with World Without Exploitation, an organization that works on local and national initiatives to combat trafficking. She said she was trafficked in the mid-1990s and lived for decades with shame and self-blame.
"For more than two and a half decades, I lived with this incredible shame and guilt for the things that happened to me," she said. "I didn't do anything wrong."
Stein said she was stunned when Epstein was arrested in 2019, believing for years she was the only victim. She said misconceptions about trafficking kept her from recognizing her own experience.
"The media was telling me that I had been trafficked, but I didn't understand what that meant," she said.
Stein said she immersed herself in the anti-trafficking movement and ultimately made advocacy her career.
"Now I work as a national anti-trafficking advocate," she said, adding that she works with survivors outside the Epstein case because trafficking is widespread. "Sex trafficking happens in every city and every state in our country," she said, arguing the issue persists because it is uncomfortable to confront.
"The way that we change that narrative is by talking about it and having the hard conversations that we need to as a society," Stein said.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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