Democratic lawmakers and victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday applauded Virginia’s Law, which would end the statute of limitations on adult sex trafficking.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico introduced the legislation named after Virginia Giuffre, arguably the most well-known of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex abuse victims. She committed suicide last April.
Mr. Schumer said the bill would let victims sue for longer than the current law allows.
“Justice should not expire,” he said. “And because for survivors, healing does not run on a government clock.”
Ms. Fernandez said the law would eliminate the statute of limitations for “key federal civil claims” and would include a “look back window” for survivors who were previously told their time expired.
She criticized President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for using the Justice Department “to prevent justice, to protect yourself and that predatory circle of abusers.”
Giuffre worked at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in 2000 and said in court documents that Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell recruited her by starting a conversation about a book she was reading at the time. Maxwell invited Giuffre to become Epstein’s traveling masseuse, and Giuffre said the two of them then groomed her to perform sexual services for wealthy men.
In other unsealed court documents, Giuffre said Maxwell directed her to have sex with several high-profile men, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, hedge funder Glenn Dubin, MIT scientist Marvin Minsky and modeling company founder Jean-Luc Brunel.
Mr. Schumer said the bill was named for Giuffre because “she spoke when so many were told not to.”
Sky Roberts, Giuffre’s brother, spoke about his sister, saying that the word “change” meant everything to her.
“Virginia’s dream was to inspire and empower survivors to come forward,” he said, adding that one of the main goals of her nonprofit SOAR — Speak Out, Act, Reclaim — was to get rid of the statute of limitations for adult sex trafficking victims.
Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer who represents Giuffre and other survivors, called the legislation a “watershed moment for survivors’ rights.”
“No longer can abusers weaponize the clock,” she said. “Survivors can act when they’re ready to act.”
Mr. Roberts said he thinks Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, should be brought before Congress to “answer questions,” and Mr. Schumer agreed.
The bill needs to pass the House and the Senate and gain Mr. Trump’s signature to become law.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating the crimes of Epstein and Maxwell.
Maxwell, who appeared before the committee via video from a Texas prison on Monday, pleaded the Fifth Amendment and wouldn’t answer the committee’s questions. She is serving a 20-year sentence on sex trafficking charges.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also agreed to appear later this month.
Epstein committed suicide in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting prosecution on his federal sex trafficking charges.
Some 3.5 million pages of documents in relation to Epstein have been released. House Democrats have requested a review of the unredacted files to make sure they comply with federal law.
Mr. Trump, who was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, said he cut ties with him after he stole workers from Mar-a-Lago.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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