One of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers and a key witness in his associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial is calling for the government to release information related to him, especially if there is “nothing to hide.”
Annie Farmer has watched US President Donald Trump’s recent handling of the case and the ensuing backlash from the MAGA movement, she said, with exhaustion.
Her feeling that the case has been politicised – with her abusers plastered throughout the media cycle leading to few results – leaves her feeling “used”, she told the BBC during an interview on Monday.
“There are people who have used this to their advantage and tried to focus on elements of it that are sensational,” she said.
But that doesn’t mean there weren’t real crimes committed, Ms Farmer said.
“Those victims are people with feelings that are trying to live their everyday lives, and this can feel like a real weight falling on us.”
Ms Farmer, and her sister Maria, made the earliest known reports of abuse by Epstein to the NYPD and the FBI in 1996. Maria Farmer is currently suing the federal government, accusing it of negligence and failing to protect victims. Over the decades, Annie Farmer said her only sense of justice came from the conviction of Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice.
She remains very sceptical of the Trump administration’s handling of the case – turning away from promises to release more information on the case, then saying there were no files to release, then seeking to make public related grand jury testimony.
“It’s an emotional roller coaster for the people involved,” she said, adding that they were hopeful “more information could be coming”.
Ms Farmer said she did not believe Trump supports justice for victims, given his past association with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s.
In response, White House communications director Stephen Cheung said on Monday that President Trump kicked Epstein out of his club for being a “creep” and called allegations about him “recycled, old fake news”.
The rift between Trump and staunch MAGA supporters was sparked by early campaign promises from Trump to “declassify” information on the case. Other Trump allies have previously called for the release of more information on Epstein.
But the Department of Justice recently said there was no evidence that Epstein kept a “client list”. Trump has said Attorney General Pam Bondi should release “whatever she thinks is credible” and has defended her handling of the files. He also has questioned the level of interest in the files.
Ms Farmer said that those involved in the case know it’s “a bit more complex than a client list”, with some central questions left unanswered.
She also said she was upset by the recent firing of Maureen Comey, who prosecuted both Epstein and Maxwell. “I’ve spoken with other women involved, and I know they shared my sentiment that it felt very wrong at this time,” she said.
“And it was very concerning to us in terms of, why did this happen?”
It is not clear why the federal prosecutor was removed from her job at the Southern District of New York, and Ms Comey has said publicly she was not given a reason.
A few things motivated her to speak out now, Ms Farmer said. First, she is extremely disturbed by calls from fringe voices to pardon Maxwell so she can speak in front of Congress about the case.
“That would be extremely problematic and would be a huge loss for individuals like myself,” she said.
The second reason is the suicide in April of one of Epstein’s most outspoken accusers, Virginia Giuffre.
Losses like that, she said, renewed her energy toward better understanding where the justice system fell apart.
Additional reporting for this story by Pratiksha Ghildial
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