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Epstein survivor: Patel ‘partying like a college kid’

Dani Bensky, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, criticized FBI Director Kash Patel Tuesday for attending the Winter Olympics in Italy instead of investigating those connected to the late convicted sex offender.

“Why are there no investigations, when there are plenty of people in these files to investigate Have we read them? Why is the FBI director out there partying like a college kid, when he should be investigating the vast criminal enterprise?” Bensky said at a news conference hosted by the Democratic Women’s Caucus. “This administration needs to do better.”

Democratic lawmakers criticized Patel after he was captured on camera Sunday chugging a beer and celebrating alongside the gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team after their win over Canada. During his time in Italy, the FBI director met with an interagency task force handling security at the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, while FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson also wrote on social platform X that Patel would reimburse “any other personal expenses.”

Bensky, who attended President Trump’s State of the Union address at the invitation of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that Epstein abused her in 2004 and 2005, after she met him at the age of 17.

“I was looking for an adult to help protect me from what felt like monsters, only to find that the monster was him all along,” she said. 

While Bensky noted she is looking to the government “for help,” they are “no better” and are “gaslighting and manipulating victims, the same tactics as Jeffrey and Ghislaine [Maxwell].” 

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as victims, have criticized the Department of Justice (DOJ) for its delayed release of files related to the Epstein case, along with the redactions of certain names and the disclosure of victims’ information. 

“Rather than apologize for this failure, this DOJ has doubled down on denial and distraction,” said survivor Annie Farmer, who attended the State of the Union address as a guest of Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.). Farmer also slammed the FBI for “not following up” on a report from her sister, Maria Farmer, on Epstein, Maxwell and their associates in 1996.

“We are tired of the games,” Farmer added. “When those we elect to office misuse their positions, it harms us all. We are here to remind our elected leaders and other Americans that there is always a choice.

“You can sit by and watch the abuse of power, as so many wealthy, educated, connected individuals did in the Epstein case, or you can do the right thing, the courageous thing.”

In total, a dozen Epstein survivors attended Trump’s address in the House chamber Tuesday, at the invitation of more than a dozen members of Congress.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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