Virginia Giuffre, one of the most well-known survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, wanted the so-called Epstein files made public before her death, according to her family. Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year, leaving behind a legacy that her family says was rooted in a pursuit of truth and justice. “She had a little bit of hope in her because it was said that the files were going to be released,” said Amanda Roberts, her sister-in-law. “She wanted transparency and justice. She was fighting for that to happen right up until the very end.”

Her Legacy and the Push for Transparency

In recent weeks, Giuffre’s name has resurfaced amid a renewed push for the release of documents that detail years of abuse involving Epstein and his longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell. Danny Wilson, her brother, described the emotional toll of this renewed attention, stating, “We’ve constantly had to relive, since my sister’s passing, these things from her past.”

Trump’s Comments and the Family’s Response

Virginia Giuffre's father
Virginia Giuffre’s father, Sky Roberts.

President Donald Trump recently drew backlash for referring to Giuffre as one of the people Epstein had “stolen” from Mar-a-Lago. Giuffre was working as a locker room attendant at the Florida estate in the summer of 2000, at the age of 16. Her brother, Sky Roberts, was deeply troubled by the phrasing. “She’s not an object; she’s a person,” he said through tears. “She’s a mom. She’s a sister. And she was recruited by Maxwell. She wasn’t stolen.”

The White House has reiterated that Trump expelled Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for “being a creep.” Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. When asked whether he would consider pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, Trump said he hadn’t thought about it but acknowledged that he is “allowed to do it”.

The Family Rejects Clemency for Maxwell

Giuffre’s family responded forcefully, urging Trump not to pardon Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors. “Our sister always told us that Maxwell was even worse than Epstein,” said Lanette Wilson. Amanda Roberts echoed the sentiment, calling any possible pardon an “abomination.”

A senior administration official confirmed to NBC News that no discussions around leniency for Maxwell are taking place. The family expressed relief over this, saying that any form of clemency would erase what their sister and other survivors fought to expose. “A pardon would unwind everything that my sister and all the survivors fought for,” said Sky Roberts. Amanda Roberts added, “It’s really important that we create a culture … for victims and survivors to come forward, to protect them, to trust them and believe them. Survivors deserve the space to be heard always, and that if you were to let [Maxwell] free, it would be silencing them all over again, and that is not a culture that any of us want.”