Jessica Reed Kraus, a pro-Trump influencer who was given a White House binder labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” earlier this year, posted Instagram stories this week mocking and casting doubt on accounts by Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual-assault and trafficking victims.
Kraus wrote that she was “done catering to a MeToo narrative that overlooks facts and common sense” and urged followers to question the credibility of the women who have said they were abused by Epstein. In one post she wrote, “Forgive me, for refusing to embrace a narrative in which college aged women who boarded a private jet again and again (for years) to vacation & accept payment as escorts to a multi millionaire, later collecting millions after therapy convinced them they were victims of rape.” In another she quoted an allegation — “’I was raped 25 times on the island’” — and added, “Maybe stop boarding the flights that take you to [Epstein’s] island.”
Kraus’s posts come as renewed attention on Epstein has intensified after the House Oversight Committee released a so-called “birthday book” that included a message to Epstein that appears to bear President Donald Trump’s signature. The president has denied writing the note. The release amplified demands by some lawmakers and victims that the administration make public files related to Epstein’s activities.
Her comments also follow testimony this month from some of Epstein’s accusers on Capitol Hill, who urged the administration to release records tied to the long-running investigation. A Department of Justice memo has said there may have been as many as 1,000 victims connected to Epstein’s alleged trafficking operation.
Epstein, a financier who cultivated ties to a number of wealthy and powerful people, was convicted in 2008 under a plea deal that resulted in a sentence for soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution involving a minor. He was charged again in federal court in 2019 on sex-trafficking counts and died in federal custody while awaiting trial.
Kraus, who has millions of followers on social media and was among several conservative figures invited to the White House this year to receive binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” also criticized victims’ motives and the way some media and blogs have covered their accounts. In another Instagram post she wrote that “participating in a sexual experience at 26 with two other adults is called a threesome not rape,” disputing one woman’s description of an encounter.
The White House and some Republican leaders have attempted to frame the push for full public disclosure of Epstein-related materials as politically motivated. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and House Speaker Mike Johnson have said the president believes some women were victimized by Epstein while also casting the broader scandal as a subject of partisan debate. At the same time, several Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have joined Democrats in pressing for release of the files.
Advocates for Epstein’s accusers and some Democrats have criticized Kraus’s remarks as dismissive of the victims and said such public statements by a figure with White House ties risk amplifying skepticism about survivors. Victims who have testified and legal advocates have repeatedly described a pattern of abuse that included shuttling young women to Epstein’s properties and paying them for sexual encounters, allegations central to both civil and criminal investigations.
The birthday book released by House Oversight Democrats this month includes a handwritten message to Epstein for his 50th birthday that surfaced in documents the committee disclosed. The message prompted renewed questions about Epstein’s social circle and the extent of record-keeping by government and private entities. Oversight Democrats called on the White House to release full records related to Epstein; the White House has not yet complied with a demand for broad public disclosure of the materials.
Kraus did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Her posts remained visible on her Instagram account as of this week. The episode adds to an ongoing debate in Washington over what materials tied to Epstein should be made public, what they might reveal about powerful figures who associated with him, and how public officials and influencers frame allegations of sexual abuse.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said they seek more information about Epstein’s activities and the handling of evidence. The dispute over how to treat the victims’ accounts, and the conflicting narratives about the significance of newly released documents, underscores continuing political battles over transparency and accountability in the Epstein case.