WASHINGTON — Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said Thursday she has been pushing Republican leaders to hold public hearings with Jeffrey Epstein survivors, throwing her support behind first lady Melania Trump's call for greater accountability in the case.
"I actually have been encouraging that," Luna told reporters outside the Capitol. "A lot of people are scared about coming forward and naming people — and there's also this aspect of settlements potentially being reached. If there's a settlement, people are then sometimes asked to sign NDAs and so they don't talk."
Luna didn't stop there, leveling sharp criticism at the Department of Justice over plea deals granted to Epstein associates.
"The Department of Justice gave plea deals to people that they knew were trafficking people," she emphasized. "There is no justice for the victims that were basically seeing these people get off. And Ghislaine Maxwell should not be the only one sitting in prison."
Luna's remarks echoed longstanding criticism of a 2008 non-prosecution agreement negotiated by then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta in Florida, which gave Epstein and his co-conspirators federal immunity in exchange for a state plea deal. The agreement was widely criticized as sweetheart treatment that shielded potential co-conspirators. Acosta later resigned as Trump's Labor Secretary in 2019 when the deal came back under scrutiny.
Luna also appeared to acknowledge that her push to expel Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from Congress was part of a broader strategy.
"I knew that when I brought the expulsion of Swalwell that it would set up a chain reaction event," she said. "And I frankly don't care."
Luna had introduced a resolution to expel Swalwell after a former staffer accused him of sexual assault and three other women alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct. Swalwell and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) both resigned from Congress this week, moments before their colleagues were prepared to set in motion their swift removal.
Luna called on members of both parties to follow through on accountability promises, adding: "Sometimes that means calling out your own party."
