'Our guiding light’: Epstein survivors hold vigil marking one year since Virginia Giuffre’s death

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Apr 25, 2026 #politics #justice #congress

Saturday marks one year since the tragic death of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre. Survivors of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein are holding a vigil in the nation’s capital to celebrate her life and the sacrifices she made that allowed others to come forward with their stories. Lisa Phillips, who survived abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and host of the “From Now On” podcast, joins Alex Witt to reflect on Virginia’s impact. MS NOW: My Source for News, Opinion, and the World. » Subscribe to MS NOW:

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Transcript

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warehouses today marks one year since the death of one of the most prominent survivors of jeffrey epstein's abuse members of virginia jeffrey's family and other survivors

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of epstein gathered in washington dc to remember her celebrate her life and share their messages of hope

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today we honored her not just by remembering how she left this world but by remembering remembering how she lived

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in it and the stories we tell in the love we share in the strength

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we carry forward she is still with us Jenna you are missed you are loved

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and you will never be reduced to just one chapter of your life.

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I want to bring in one of the speakers at that vigil, Lisa Phillips,

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an Epstein survivor, advocate and host of the From Now On podcast. I'm glad you're here, Lisa. It was a big day.

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It's a year since virginia's death by suicide so what are your feelings around today thank you so much for having me alex it's been

1 minute, 5 seconds

so wonderful today sharing this memorial with virginia's family their speeches were beautiful my survivor sisters that are here

1 minute, 13 seconds

we are all here in the courage and bravery of virginia for coming forward and you know she's just been our guiding light

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through the past nine months speaking out in capitol Hill and pushing for the Transparency Act. So this just means so much to us to be here.

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And, in fact, to your point, I mean,

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she was one of the very first to speak out publicly about Jeffrey Epstein and all the abuse that he inflicted.

1 minute, 37 seconds

So So tell a little bit more about what Virginia meant to you and to others in the survivor community.

1 minute, 46 seconds

Well, we all have different stories,

1 minute, 48 seconds

but they're all entangled in this web of Jeffrey Epstein and Glenn Maxwell's orbit. When I first heard Virginia speak out in 2019,

1 minute, 55 seconds

I didn't want to come forward with my personal story yet. It took me a couple years to get there,

2 minutes, 3 seconds

but what I wanted to do was support her story. And the individuals that she was speaking about, I knew that I had seen, you know,

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her on the island or I thought I had.

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So I reached out to one of the other survivor sisters who introduced me to Virginia.

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And I had a few phone conversations with her when she was in Australia and I was in Los Angeles.

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And we had a bond because I always wanted to support what she was saying because I believed her.

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And I knew that what she was saying was true. And we share another abuser that I've never been, I've never come forward about.

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And so I just wanted to be there to support her.

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That's really how it all started it wasn't until several years later where I started speaking out about my story wow what influence

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and then she had for you uh and strength that she helped give you i'm sure is that what WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT IN YOUR MESSAGE TODAY? NO, NO, NO, NO. I DIDN'T GET INTO ALL THAT.

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I WAS ONLY SPEAKING ABOUT THE COURAGE SHE HAD TO COME THAT ARE COMING FORWARD AND HOW ALL OF US SURVIVORS SISTERS AND MANY SURVIVORS THAT ARE WATCHING

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FEEL EMPOWERED BY HER STORY AND BY HER BRAVERY, AND WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE LIKE THAT,

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A LOT of times it takes the first person to come forward and because she did that is the reason why so many others have come forward

3 minutes, 20 seconds

you know one thing i saw lisa rubin was covering this vigil and she came on and she showed us the back of a card that seemed to be dispersed among the crowd.

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You know how we typically will say rest in peace and mean it? I love that on the back of that card, it says rest in power.

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And I think you're very much echoing that sentiment.

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And that's what a lot of people are saying today about Virginia.

3 minutes, 42 seconds

Let me look ahead and talk with you about King Charles, who, as you know, is coming to the U .S. for a state visit on Monday.

3 minutes, 48 seconds

Reportedly will not meet with Epstein survivors following requests to do so from Kongs and Ro Khanna and Virginia's brother whom we just heard

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from the King's brother Andrew was of course accused of sexually abusing Virginia so what's your reaction to

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that yes I understand that King Charles cannot meet with the survivors I do understand this but what King Charles can do

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in the UK is to support a public inquiry so I do I HAVE MET WITH MP EDWARD DAVEY RECENTLY IN THE U .K.

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LAST WEEK WITH THE SUPPORT OF IVANA BOTCHIK FROM THE LABOR PARTY IN IRELAND AND WE HAD A MEETING WITH THE MPs AND I DO

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KNOW THEY are pushing for a public inquiry in the united kingdom and i do believe um king charles can

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support a public inquiry and that um the prime minister he has um the ability HE HAS THE POWER TO DO SO.

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AND IN DOING A PUBLIC INQUIRY,

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IT'S THE NEXT STEP WHERE WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE U OK, and hopefully hold them accountable.

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Can I ask you quickly about your response to word that there's a talk at least of a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell,

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and that's the purpose of the public inquiry, because if Ghislaine Maxwell is pardoned, then she's a free woman.

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And she hasn't yet had any criminal charges in the UK.

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And without a I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A PUBLIC INQUIRY THAT HAS TO HAPPEN TIMELY, SHE WILL BE A FREE WOMAN.

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AND THAT'S NOT OKAY FOR THE SURVIVORS BECAUSE SHE ALSO was one of the main people who um was

5 minutes, 33 seconds

was abusing um young women and and teenagers and so this is something that's really important to us in the uk is to also hold her accountable for what,

5 minutes, 44 seconds

for her actions and do a thorough investigation and hopefully be held for criminal charges in the United Kingdom.

5 minutes, 52 seconds

Lisa Phillips, you always have my admiration and appreciation for coming on the show. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you, Alex.

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