Virginia Giuffre, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, was one of the earliest women to go public with accusations of sex trafficking against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She worked at the spa in Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort as a teenager, where her own father also worked in maintenance.
There, she claimed, Maxwell initially approached her and brought her into Epstein's circle. It was in the years since that Giuffre emerged as a key witness to uncovering Epstein's purported abuse network. Her interviews and testimony put the men in power in the crosshairs including Prince Andrew, who has denied them.
In April, she took her own life on her farm in Australia. Her family and so many others now seek answers, not only into her history, but into how much more remains covered up.
The relatives of Virginia Giuffre, who is one of the most visible accusers in the Jeffrey Epstein matter, have spoken out after US President Donald Trump made a surprising comment implying Epstein "took" her from his Florida retreat, Mar-a-Lago.
In a statement released last night, Giuffre's family stated that they were "shocked" by Trump's statements and called for answers.
It was appalling to hear President Trump reference our sister and state that he knew that Virginia was 'stolen' from Mar-a-Lago," the family stated. "We and the public are calling for answers, survivors are entitled to this.
Giuffre, who took her own life last April in Australia, had long claimed she was trafficked and groomed by Epstein and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell. Her work as a teenage spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago has frequently been touted as her entry point into Epstein's orbit.
On his return to the United States from Scotland this week, Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One and volunteered Giuffre's name. He blamed Epstein for luring young staff from his resort.
"People were taken from the spa, hired by him. Gone," Trump stated. "When I found out about it, I told him, 'We don't want your taking our people.' Then he did it again. I said, 'Out of here.'
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also supported Trump's account, saying he had banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for "being a creep to his female employees."
The Giuffre family reaction captures a wider anger that the Epstein case lacks transparency. In spite of assurances from Trump's administration to make available documents pertaining to high-profile investigations such as those that involve Epstein many of the top files remain redacted or sealed.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was on Fox News in February, contributed to conspiracy theories when she said that a "client list" from Epstein was "sitting on my desk right now." But a statement by the FBI and Department of Justice in July stated no such list or blackmail evidence had turned up.
Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years in prison for sex trafficking and grooming children, has volunteered to come before Congress to testify if she gets a pardon. She's also asked the US Supreme Court to hear her appeal.
But Giuffre's family isn't holding back.
"Ghislaine Maxwell is a monster who should rot behind bars for the rest of her life," their statement declared.
Trump's remarks have sparked not only media buzz but also political discourse. With indications that the Justice Department informed Trump that his name had surfaced in Epstein-linked documents, critics call for total disclosure while Trump's support base interprets the case as additional evidence of secret elite scandals.
In the case of survivors and families such as Giuffre's, however, the call is straightforward, tell the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice regardless of their stature.
