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The firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi, who received widespread criticism for her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, was celebrated Thursday by the sexual predator’s surviving victims, who have long felt Bondi could be more transparent about their cases.
Marina Lacerda, one of the survivors, shared a news article about Bondi’s firing on her Instagram stories, writing, “WE KNEW IT WOULD COME DOWN TO THIS.”
She also shared a satirical reel from the Instagram account @mermaidmamamaggie that poked fun at all the names Bondi had redacted from the Epstein files.
“What? You’re firing me,” the comedian said in the reel, posing as Bondi talking to President Donald Trump. “But I’ve done everything you’ve asked, sir. I’ve ignored the facts, buried the evidence, and I even learned how to say ‘no comment’ in five different tones of panic.”
Amanda and Sky Roberts — the family of Epstein survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who died by suicide last year — said in a statement to independent journalist Aaron Parnas that they hope Bondi “has the courage” to “do right by survivors.”
“Alliance to a corrupt agenda never serves you,” they said. “Another one falls on the sword to protect the powerful! We hope she has the courage to testify and actually do right by survivors this time.”
Tom Williams via Getty Images
Bondi’s botched release of the Justice Department’s thousands of documents related to Epstein will likely be what defines her tenure. As the files were released, the names of thousands of Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators were redacted, while survivors’ names were not, despite legislation demanding it.
Survivors grew extra frustrated when, during a February hearing on the Epstein files, Bondi refused to apologize to or look at any of them when a Democratic lawmaker urged her to, saying she wasn’t going to get in the “gutter” for “theatrics.”
Bondi was issued a subpoena last month to testify on how the Justice Department handled the release of the Epstein files. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), co-author of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which legislated the Justice Department’s release of the files, told Newsweek on Thursday that she still has to testify.
A group of 19 survivors shared a statement on Instagram saying the release of the Epstein files put them at risk and “compounded the trauma” they had lived with for years.
“We came forward with courage and hope for justice, but under Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, we were met with secrecy, mismanagement, and a failure to adequately protect our safety,” the statement reads. “Every misstep by the Department of Justice has reminded us that the system often protects abusers, not victims.”
Annie Farmer, another Epstein survivor, told MeidasTouch in a statement: “This is not about a single person; it is about a government and judicial system that has repeatedly failed Epstein survivors.”
“Regardless of who holds power, survivors deserve accountability, transparency, protection from retaliation, and assurance that those who enabled Epstein, Maxwell, and others will be investigated and, if appropriate, prosecuted,” Farmer said.
Lisa Phillips, another Epstein survivor, shared a Reel on Instagram stories of Khanna saying that whoever replaces Bondi shouldn’t be “another lawless sycophant” and should instead release all of the Epstein files.
Lauren Hersh, the national director of World Without Exploitation, a coalition that helped Epstein survivors demand the release of the files, said in a statement that survivors must be prioritized under the Justice Department’s new leadership.
“Survivors deserve accountability, not more mistakes that put them in harm’s way,” Hersh said. “We will not stop until the full truth is revealed and survivors receive the transparency and justice they have fought for.”
English (US) ·