200 Days Since Trump Administration Broke the Law to Protect Child Abusers; Epstein Survivors Still Kept In the Dark.

For Immediate Release: July 7, 2026
Contact: media@fwdshift.com

Prominent women’s and survivors’ group launches petition calling on the House Oversight Committee to force the Department of Justice to follow the law and release all of the Epstein files

UltraViolet Action, a leading national women-led gender-justice organization responsible for numerous impactful campaigns that create a cost for sexism and sexual violence, released the following statement after the launch of a new petition today, July 7, which marks 200 days since the December 19, 2025 deadline for the Justice Department to release all of the Epstein files, as required by the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act.

It also marks five days after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche missed a separate July 2 court-ordered deadline for the Justice Department to release additional unredacted Epstein records or justify the government’s continued withholding of information.

No action has been taken by the Justice Department to either deadline.

“Two hundred days ago, we saw just how far the Trump administration would go to protect pedophiles. Ignoring the deadline to release the Epstein files wasn’t just illegal, it was a slap in the face to survivors and anyone who cares about stopping child sexual abuse.” said Arisha Hatch, UltraViolet Executive Director. “Now we’ve seen more than six months of excuses, cover-ups, and delays from an administration whose supposed interest in ‘draining the swamp’ disappears when it comes to holding powerful abusers accountable.

Today not only marks 200 days since a missed legal deadline, but it also marks 200 days of resistance against a fascist administration putting powerful abusers over the safety of children. Despite the administration’s deflections and delays, survivors and allies have fought like hell for transparency and justice, and thanks to that persistence, we now have access to more documents related to Epstein’s crime ring than ever before. We’ve also created a cost for enabling Epstein.

Through a coordinated series of petitions and strategic pressure campaigns, UltraViolet Action’s ‘The Epstein Accountability Project’ has galvanized public scrutiny of prominent figures and institutions with documented ties to Epstein’s sexual abuse network, and even contributing to pushing them out of plum positions of power and influence:

• Ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers stepped down from his roles at Harvard University and OpenAI following pressure campaigns over his cozy, years-long relationship with Epstein.
• Dr. Peter Attia resigned from his role as a contributor at CBS after UltraViolet Action and other organizations drew attention to his ties to Epstein (his name appeared more than 1,700 times in the over 3 million emails exposed in the Epstein files).
• Disgraced media mogul Casey Wasserman was forced to sell his eponymous talent agency after advocates and artists alike demanded accountability over reports that he flew on Epstein’s private plane.

UltraViolet has also stood in solidary with Epstein survivors, co-organizing a Butterfly Vigil on April 25, 2026, in Washington, D.C., honoring the life and legacy of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a survivor of sexual abuse by Epstein’s network.

But there’s still more work to be done. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who has acknowledged a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein since 2005, continues to serve in the Trump administration; Epstein enablers Alan Dershowitz and Deepak Chopra continue to be platformed and supported by major U.S. universities despite public outcry; U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent continues to refuse to release key bank records related to Epstein and his alleged billionaire enabler Leon Black; and the Republican-majority House Oversight Committee continues to neglect its constitutional duties to enforce the law and require that all other Epstein files be released.

“The public will not forget this administration’s continued attempts to ignore the law and deny survivors the transparency they deserve,” continued Hatch. “The House Oversight Committee must do its job by holding the Justice Department accountable and ensuring the full release of the Epstein files.”

For decades, survivors had sounded the alarm on Jeffrey Epstein and the network of powerful abusers and enablers who allowed his serial sexual abuse to continue. It’s clear that Epstein did not act alone. Despite Epstein’s terrible crimes and having been convicted of soliciting sex from a minor in 2008, powerful and wealthy people, including President Donald Trump, continued to befriend and enable him. This pattern of enabling continued into the Trump presidency, where MAGA political leaders used Epstein’s horrific crimes of abuse and predation to rile up their base—treating survivors as political footballs—before trying to bury his awful legacy altogether.

It was only thanks to overwhelming pressure from survivors and the general public alike that Trump and his allies weren’t allowed to get away with it, but not for lack of trying. Even now, the administration continues to stonewall the release of the full Epstein files required by law. To date, the Justice Department has released only a limited number of heavily redacted records, shielding perpetrators while exposing the names and images of survivors in direct violation of the law.

“Missing the deadline to release all the files is undoubtedly illegal. But revealing the names and images of survivors in the limited documents the DOJ made public is also extremely dangerous and cruel.” Hatch continued. “If they thought exposing survivors would silence the demand for accountability, they were wrong. It has only strengthened our resolve. Coming after Epstein survivors and their sisters in such blatantly obvious ways is exactly why we refuse to ‘move on’ like Trump wants us to. Survivors deserve respect, transparency, and justice. We ALL deserve an administration that respects and follows the law.” concluded Hatch.

To learn more about UltraViolet Action’s Epstein Accountability Project, please visit https://weareultraviolet.org/epstein-accountability-project

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weareultraviolet.org

UltraViolet Action is a women-led gender justice 501c4 organization, with an online community of more than 1 million members nationwide. We combine organizing, technology, creative campaigning, and people power to win real-world changes for women and gender-expansive people.