'I know exactly what Virginia told them – she didn’t hold back': Virginia Giuffre co-author on Epstein Files
Amy Wallace, who co-wrote Virginia Giuffre’s autobiography, tells Emily Maitlis why she is demanding Donald Trump honour his election promise to release the Epstein Files.
Listen to this article
Read time: 3 mins
In brief…
- Virginia Giuffre biographer Amy Wallace says that keeping the Epstein Files hidden tells people in America that “misogyny is alive and well” and that the fetishisation of young girls and women is “okay”.
- The Trump administration has claimed the files don’t exist, but Wallace says this is a lie, and that Giuffre named high-profile men involved with Epstein during previous investigations, before her death by suicide in April 2025.
- She says the release of the files has become a “pivotal issue” for people in the US, despite Trump’s claim their existence is “fake news” and a “democratic hoax”.
What’s the story?
The co-author of Virginia Giuffre's autobiography, which reveals new details of the extent of alleged abuse she experienced at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew, has joined calls for the release of the Epstein Files.
Amy Wallace tells Emily Maitlis that the failure of Donald Trump's administration to release the files, as promised during his 2024 campaign, highlights deep inequality in American society.
In July this year, Trump claimed the existence of the Epstein Files, which he had promised to make public, was "fake news".
Wallace says it tells people that "misogyny is alive and well in this country" and that "fetishisation of young girls is okay."
"Neither of those things are true and frankly, that's why people are calling for the release of the Epstein files, because people are sick of it."
Trump’s links to Epstein
Trump, once a close friend of Epstein, has been dogged by his connections to the sexual predator throughout his second term in The White House, with some believing he is among those named in the Epstein Files.
"I know exactly what Virginia told them, and the names she named – she didn't hold back," Wallace says.
"All of those things are in the files. We don't need anyone to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, who, by the way, has never shown any indication of wanting to help any of these girls."
Maxwell, who procured women for Epstein – including Virgina Giuffre, spoke with Department of Justice officials in summer 2025, claiming the files don't exist, and that she never witnessed Donald Trump in any compromising or illegal activity with Epstein.
‘I cannot utter some of the names involved with Epstein’
Wallace says the authorities should revisit the 150-page investigation and testimonies from women who attended parties at Epstein's Palm Beach mansion, which was compiled in 2006.
She describes the sentence Epstein was given in 2008 as a "sweetheart deal", allowing him to leave prison during the day.
This, Wallace adds, was because of the circles he moved in.
"He was very close to very powerful people – some of the names I cannot utter," she adds.
"This is 2008, a time when – to some degree – women were not believed, and certainly poor women, young women were not believed.
"They were being described as drug addicts, whores. They were described as liars, and their class was used against them. They were not trustworthy. They were poor."
She describes a campaign by "the old boys club" to cast the victims as unbelievable, closing ranks to "protect" Epstein.
‘This is not a Democratic hoax, despite Trump claims’
The Epstein Files has become a "pivotal issue" for many people in America, Wallace says, despite the Trump administration now claiming they do not exist.
"There were investigators who were working on that case. Those files exist," she adds.
"People want to see for themselves. Trump is calling this a democratic hoax. It's not a hoax.
"This happened to these women and girls. Trump campaigned on releasing the files. I'm not sure why he did that, if he wasn't planning to actually do it."