Reactions from Congress are streaming in after lawmakers viewed unredacted Epstein files the DOJ made available beginning on Feb. 9, 2026. Among them is Florida MAGA Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who said Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell should absolutely not be granted clemency based on what she saw.
When asked about Maxwell, Luna responded,
Based on what we saw in the files, Ghislaine Maxwell was involved in trafficking and the rape of young women, and possibly children. She doesn’t deserve any special treatment. She’s a monster.”
Luna’s blunt Maxwell assessment comes amid Maxwell and her legal team’s efforts to reverse her 20-year prison sentence on sex trafficking charges related to Epstein.
Luna also spoke out on X
Meanwhile, after viewing the unredacted files, Luna also added in part, on X,
” … some of the women claiming to be victims helped traffic children. Clearly this is just the tip of the iceberg but it’s important to recognize the facts.”
She also said, “To be clear, not all victims are guilty of this, however it’s a fact that some of them are.”
Prosecutors and survivors had already described Epstein and Maxwell’s sex trafficking as a “pyramid scheme of abuse,” operating through recruitment, grooming, and financial incentives that drew ever more victims into Epstein’s orbit, often facilitated by Maxwell.
Multiple court filings and survivor testimonies indicate that some of Epstein’s victims were coerced into helping recruit other young girls, using fear, coercion, and manipulation.
In the “pyramid scheme of abuse” framework prosecutors described, Maxwell and Epstein would sometimes use prior victims to groom new targets, creating a self-perpetuating cycle.
While the original coercion came from Maxwell and Epstein, the participation of these prior victims was part of the systematic exploitation and manipulation that prosecutors highlighted at trial.
As of February 2026, Maxwell’s legal team has exhausted her appeal options, with the Supreme Court declining to hear her case. Most recently, she invoked her Fifth Amendment rights in a February deposition before the House Oversight Committee and publicly conditioned any cooperation on receiving clemency from Trump, suggesting she would testify fully only if offered a pardon or commutation.
Luna and the Epstein case
Simultaneously, the post-viewing comments were not the first time Luna has been vocal about the Epstein case, especially in her role as chair of a House Oversight Task Force on declassification. She has called for full transparency and release of Epstein‑related documents, criticizing the Department of Justice for slow or incomplete disclosures and urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to release files to the public.
Luna has also suggested that Epstein’s operations were broader than publicly known, including claims that foreign governments were involved and that Epstein might have acted as an “intelligence asset” for U.S. adversaries, a point she has highlighted after private meetings with survivors
Published: Feb 10, 2026 02:51 pm