NBC News anchor Hallie Jackson asked Jeffrey Epstein survivor Marijke Chartouni what she would say to President Donald Trump if he could “hear you right now,” and got a blunt question for Trump in return.
While media interest in the Epstein Files story dropped off as the summer wore on, polls indicate that public interest is high. And with Congress returning from a turbulent recess, the deceased sex criminal and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell are about to face the spotlight anew.
About a dozen Epstein survivors will speak out publicly Wednesday at a press conference arranged by lawmakers from both parties. In an exclusive interview for NBC News, a group of them spoke to Jackson ahead of that testimony.
The president has not ruled out a pardon of Ghislaine Maxwell, instead boasting about his right to do so. When Jackson asked the group if they want Trump to rule out such a pardon, every hand shot up.
She asked Chartouni for her message to Trump, and got a scathing response about how the president “values” the survivors versus Maxwell — whom he has publicly wished “well”:
HALLIE JACKSON: Show of hands, who would like to see President Trump definitively rule out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, every single one of you, Marikje, are you frustrated he hasn’t done so yet?MARIJKE CHARTOUNI: Oh, absolutely, yeah. I mean, just toying with the idea is an insult.HALLIE JACKSON: What would you say to the
President if he could hear you right now about this, about the potential part, and about the case, about all of this that’s in the ether right now?MARIJKE CHARTOUNI: I would ask why he’s putting so much attention on the criminals and why he seems to value them more than us.HALLIE JACKSON: Does anybody else have thoughts on that?AMANDA ROBERTS: I would say it’s so big right now because this administration ran their campaign on this. These were promises that they had made, and, and, and if you’re in that level and in that capacity, it’s your diligence, it’s your duty to do what your constituents, what your the American public, is asking you for. So that’s all we’re asking.JESS MICHAELS: And it’s, it’s not just one side or the other. This is a non-partisan issue. Everyone is asking, even his base is asking.HALLIE JACKSON: Has anyone heard from anybody at the White House or any of their representatives?GROUP: No.
Watch above via Hallie Jackson / NBC News.