Epstein survivor Danielle Bensky joins Laura Coates in a powerful interview ahead of President Trump’s State of the Union address, bringing renewed attention to the decades-long fight for accountability that she and fellow survivors refuse to abandon. On the night of February 24, 2026, Bensky walked into the United States Capitol not as a victim looking for sympathy — but as a woman demanding answers, justice, and the full release of the federal government’s files on Jeffrey Epstein.
Her presence in that chamber sent a message that went far beyond political symbolism. It was a declaration.
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Who Is Danielle Bensky?
Danielle Bensky grew up in New York City with dreams of becoming a ballerina. She was just seventeen years old when she first encountered Jeffrey Epstein — the convicted sex offender whose network of abuse stretched across some of the most powerful circles in the world. Like so many other young women who crossed paths with Epstein, Bensky’s life was forever altered by that encounter.
For years, survivors like Bensky watched as Epstein’s co-conspirators and associates faced little to no consequences. They watched files get buried, names get redacted, and investigations get stalled. But Bensky refused to stay silent. She has evolved into one of the most visible and vocal advocates demanding that the full truth about Epstein’s network be made public — and that everyone involved be held accountable.
A Historic Night at the Capitol
Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader from New York, invited Bensky as one of his personal guests to attend President Trump’s State of the Union address on February 24. The decision was deliberate. It placed survivors of Epstein’s abuse directly in the room where the President of the United States would speak — and made their presence impossible to ignore.
Bensky was not alone. Multiple Epstein survivors attended the address as guests of Democratic lawmakers. Haley Robson attended as a guest of Representative Ro Khanna, who authored legislation requiring the Justice Department to release Epstein-related files. Sharlene Rochard attended with Representative Emily Randall. Liz Stein was present as a guest of Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez. Jamie Raskin and Representative Suhas Subramanyam brought the brother and sister-in-law of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Representative Robert Garcia invited Annie Farmer, whose sister Maria Farmer was also a survivor. Representative Thomas Massie estimated that as many as ten to twelve survivors attended the address.
The sheer number of survivors inside the Capitol that evening underscored a simple truth: this fight is not going away.
What Bensky Said on Camera
Ahead of the address, Danielle Bensky joined Laura Coates to speak directly about what this moment meant — both personally and politically. She acknowledged that recent arrests of high-profile figures connected to Epstein represent progress, but she made clear that progress is not the same as justice.
Among those recently arrested in the United Kingdom were former Prince Andrew and former British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson. Both were taken into custody on suspicion of misconduct while in public office, in connection with their ties to Epstein. These arrests mark the first actions taken against prominent figures in the Epstein orbit since his death in 2019.
Bensky described these developments as a step in the right direction. But she was equally direct about what remains unfinished. She told Coates that the presence of survivors at the Capitol carries a message for the powerful people who have so far escaped scrutiny: “We’re not going away…we’re not backing down.”
The Fight Over the Epstein Files
Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law that President Trump signed, directing the Justice Department to release all records related to Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking operation. The law includes limited exceptions for redacting the names of people who accused Epstein of abuse and for material that could compromise ongoing criminal investigations.
But survivors and lawmakers from both parties argue the administration has not complied in good faith. Senator Schumer has publicly accused Trump’s Justice Department of slow-walking disclosures and blacking out page after page of documents. Bensky herself said that the administration continues to protect perpetrators rather than expose them, and that personal identifying information of survivors has been exposed in the process — a re-victimization that she called unacceptable.
“My survivor sisters and I have been fighting for transparency and accountability,” Bensky said. “We need the release of all files.”
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee previously released tens of thousands of documents obtained from the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate. They also released photos and videos from Epstein’s private Caribbean island in late 2025. But survivors say what has been made public so far is only a fraction of what the government holds.
Why the State of the Union Moment Matters
The decision by Democratic leaders to bring Epstein survivors to the State of the Union was a calculated act of visibility. In a room full of legislators, cabinet officials, and the President, survivors stood as a living reminder that accountability has not yet arrived — and that they will continue showing up until it does.
Senator Schumer said that Bensky has turned what he described as unimaginable pain into relentless advocacy. Representative Khanna echoed the sentiment, saying the presence of survivors at major political moments exposes what he called America’s two-tiered justice system — one that has historically protected the wealthy and powerful while leaving victims without recourse.
For Bensky, the night was also deeply personal. As a lifelong New Yorker who met Epstein when she was a teenager with ballet dreams, attending the State of the Union in the United States Capitol represented a kind of reclamation. She described it as an honor — not because of the pomp of the occasion, but because it gave her and her fellow survivors a platform to say, in the most public way possible, that they will not be silent.
What Comes Next
The arrests of Prince Andrew and Peter Mandelson in the United Kingdom signal that international scrutiny of Epstein’s network is intensifying. Survivors and advocacy groups in the United States are watching those proceedings closely, hoping they will pressure American authorities to move faster on their own investigations.
On the legislative front, survivors and their congressional allies are continuing to push for the complete, unredacted release of Epstein-related federal files. They argue that any meaningful accountability requires the public to know the full scope of who was involved and what the government knew — and when.
Bensky’s appearance alongside Laura Coates, her presence in the Capitol chamber, and the voices of more than a dozen survivors attending the State of the Union together represent a movement that has grown louder and more organized with each passing year.
If you’ve been following the fight for Epstein justice and believe survivors deserve full transparency, drop your thoughts in the comments — and stay close as this story continues to develop.
