Without subpoena power, Democrats’ Epstein hearing was a staged spectacle| Opinion

Democratic members from the House Oversight Committee came to Palm Beach County vowing to uncover answers for survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. Instead, they delivered political theater.

On Tuesday, Democrats held a field hearing to hear from Epstein survivors and witnesses. They said the hearing was an effort to seek accountability and get answers to questions surrounding how Epstein operated for years from his Palm Beach mansion.

But survivors need more than another hearing. They deserve action.

The women who shared their stories showed courage. By speaking about the abuse, they relived some of their darkest moments. Their stories should compel Congress to enact meaningful reform by strengthening sex-trafficking laws and closing loopholes.

In South Florida, the story and facts about Epstein have been widely reported and uncovered by Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown. In her 2018 series, “Perversion of Justice,” Brown exposed how Epstein got a sweetheart deal from then-Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, escaping federal sex-trafficking charges. She also gave voice to Epstein’s victims, often underage girls, who were coerced into sex acts with him at his Palm Beach mansion. Brown’s reporting lead to Epstein’s arrest and earned her a Pulitzer.

The facts have been brought to light.

Which raises the question, what was the hearing designed to accomplish, and who was it really for?

It wasn’t an official congressional hearing. Committee members didn’t have subpoena power and the witnesses weren’t compelled to testify under oath. By design, it was a press spectacle masquerading as oversight.

The timing isn’t accidental.

The midterms are approaching, and Democrats want to position themselves as champions for Epstein survivors. That’s commendable. But if Democrats were serious about preventing another Epstein, they’d do more than hold a livestream hearing in the president’s backyard.

A longtime lawyer for Epstein victims, Jack Scarola, was clear about what needed to be done. ”If those legislators … are really motivated to do something productive,” he told WPBF, “holding another press conference with Epstein survivors lined up behind them for another photo opportunity is not going to advance the interests of those survivors. File a bill. Work on that legislation. Get it passed.”

Survivors shouldn’t be used as a political prop.

During the hearing, lawmakers asked survivors what justice looks like. Roza, an Epstein victim trafficked from Uzbekistan under a fraudulent visa who endured three years of abuse, gave a sobering response. “I appreciate you asking that question, but I don’t know. It’s your job. You guys have to figure out how to make justice, not me,” she said.

She’s right. It’s Congress’ job to deliver justice, not ask survivors to define it.

Epstein survivor Courtney Wild, who has spent over a decade fighting the federal government over a non-prosecution agreement, made a similar point. “We did not fight so that this could turn into something political, or so that our rights would be violated once again,” she said.

Wild ended her testimony by telling committee members: “Make the Crime Victims Rights Act matter.”

This would ensure the hearing is more than another political stunt. But I’m not confident that Democrats will act.

Democrats spent a portion of the hearing accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of stonewalling and suggesting a broader cover-up. Some of those concerns may be legitimate. But these Democrats aren’t powerless. They have the authority to draft legislation, build bipartisan support and pass laws to protect future victims.

That’s what survivors deserve.

Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury, from New Mexico, told the women they were “changing the world” and said, “The only way we get justice is by changing the system itself.”

That’s true.

But changing the system requires elected leaders to do the unglamorous work of changing the law. Accountability isn’t delivered with poster board props and hearings in wood-paneled rooms inside West Palm Beach City Hall.

It comes from passing laws to ensure this never happens again. And it requires stronger protections for children, tougher penalties for human traffickers and their enablers and concrete reforms that outlast the election cycle.

Democrats have already proven they can move legislation when they choose to. The Epstein Files Transparency Act is proof.

Roza testified that when she came to America, she thought things would be different. Congressional Democrats have the chance to prove she was right.

It’s time for Congressional Democrats to stop asking survivors what justice looks like — and start delivering it.

Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com