The emotional press conference for victims of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was briefly overshadowed by a noisy flyover organized by Donald Trump.
While Epstein’s victims told their horrific stories on Capitol Hill, the president was at the White House to greet Poland’s new president, Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump had endorsed in the country’s election earlier this year.
But in a rare move for bilateral meetings, the White House also held a spectacular flyover, which roared overhead as Epstein survivor Chauntae Davis was asked about Epstein’s “greatest pride and joy”: his friendship with Trump.
The flyover was designed as a tribute to a Polish Air Force F-16 pilot who died in August during an air show rehearsal in Radom, Poland.
However, Davis and her fellow survivors were forced to pause briefly, looking up at the sky as noisy U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter jets performed a “missing” formation and other celebratory gestures.
Once the planes were out of earshot, she was able to continue her conversation, explaining to reporters that Epstein had a framed photo of Trump on his desk and that they were “very close.”
“Jeffrey and Ghislaine always bragged about their famous and powerful friends, and his biggest boast of all time was that he was a great friend of Donald Trump,” Davis said.
Furthermore, Trump criticized the attention paid to the Epstein files, declaring during his meeting with Nawrocki that the case was a “never-ending Democratic hoax.”
Asked about efforts to release all documents related to Epstein’s sex trafficking operations and networks, Trump told reporters: “Nobody is ever satisfied.”
He added: “I can verify, but my understanding is that thousands of pages of documents have been submitted.”
“But this is really a Democratic maneuver, because they’re trying to make a big deal about something that has absolutely nothing to do with the success we’ve had as a nation since I took office.”
The push for transparency came the day after more than 30,000 documents relating to Epstein were released by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, in the latest bid to quash calls for answers into the department’s handling of the issue.
But most of the documents produced were already public, prompting Democrats to accuse Republicans of an ongoing cover-up.
“I’m glad all those files have been released to the American public, but most of it is already in the public record,” said Democrat and ranking member Robert Garcia.
“What we need right now is full compliance with the subpoena, and the Attorney General–who once said that the files were on her desk–should release all the files immediately.”
The call for transparency came a day after the Republican-led House Oversight Committee released more than 30,000 documents related to Epstein, the latest attempt to quell demands for answers about the department’s handling of the case.
But most of the released documents were already in the public domain, prompting Democrats to accuse Republicans of a cover-up.
“I’m happy to release all of these records, but most of them are already in the public domain,” said senior Democrat Robert Garcia.
“What’s needed now is for the subpoena to be fully complied with and for the Attorney General—who once said the records were on her desk—to release them all immediately.”