Epstein Survivor Who Voted for Trump Now Worries ‘We’re Not Going to Get Justice’: ‘I Haven’t Seen My Files’

“Trump ran his whole freakin’ election on the release of these freakin’ files,” said Jena-Lisa Jones

A survivor connected to the case of Jeffrey Epstein is speaking out about her growing concerns regarding accountability. She says she has not yet been able to access key files related to her case, raising questions about transparency.

Jena-Lisa Jones, who says she was abused by Epstein as a 14-year-old, has been vocal about her desire to see justice. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Jones lobbied for the 2025 passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, appearing on Capitol Hill with other survivors to urge Congress to demand the release of evidence against Epstein, a well-connected financier who’d previously been convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

In a podcast interview released Thursday, March 26, Jones explained her reason for supporting Trump’s candidacy — and her frustration with his presidency so far.

Jones told The Shadow Sessions host Hiba Balfaqih that for a long time, “I wanted my day in court,” noting that Epstein’s death before his trial ripped away her long-awaited chance and turned his case “into a circus show.”

“Trump ran his whole freakin’ election on the release of these freakin’ files,” she said, explaining that it was an appealing message to those who felt they had been overlooked. “And it sparked it back all up again, gave us hope, gave me hope at least.”

“He runs his campaign on this, and he runs it really, really hard to the point that a lot of us voted for him,” she said.

After Trump took office, his administration — including the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation — resisted calls to release all files related to the federal investigation into Epstein.

“As soon as he gets in, we started pushing for the release of the files, and now it’s a ‘Democratic hoax,’ ” she said.

A bipartisan vote by Congress ultimately forced the DOJ to release its evidence, though some believe they are still withholding important documents. The DOJ has said that all relevant files have been made public since the bill was signed into law late last year unless they are “duplicates, privileged, or part of an ongoing federal investigation.”

“I haven’t seen my files in there, and I know that they have files, because I did speak with the FBI,” Jones claimed on the podcast. “I did work with the FBI. I mean, I texted the FBI the day he died.”

When asked during the interview what she fears most today, Jones responded, “That we’re not going to get justice in all of this and take down the bad people.”

A DOJ spokesperson tells PEOPLE that victims’ interviews with authorities have been released in recent months but are not searchable online due to the redactions, saying, “We suspect she is having trouble locating victim statements via the Epstein Library because we redacted victim PII [personally identifiable information].”

PEOPLE reached out to the White House for comment on Jones’ interview.

Jones has previously been critical of Trump when he initially resisted the Epstein Files Transparency Act in Congress, saying at a November press conference, “I beg you, President Trump, please stop making this political. It is not about you, President Trump. You are our president. Please start acting like it. Show some class. Show some real leadership. Show that you actually care about the people other than yourself.”

Jones is not the only survivor who has turned on Trump since his election. After the first, incomplete batches of files were released by the Justice Department in December with significant redactions, Republican survivor Haley Robson — who met Epstein when she was 16 — told CNN, “I redact any support I’ve ever given to him, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel.”

“I am so disgusted with this administration,” Hobson added. “I think that Pam Bondi and Kash Patel both need to resign, and I would love to see No. 47 get impeached over this.”

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.