WASHINGTON — On Capitol Hill this week, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Crescent Springs, has been toting a binder labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 2” that appears to be modeled after “Phase 1” binders the White House provided to conservative influencers in February.
“I believe that Phase 2 is the resolution that brings up the bill that Rep. Ro Khanna and I introduced that will require the release of all of the files, not just the ones that are convenient, not just the ones that aren’t politically embarrassing,” Massie said.
The Justice Department caused an uproar earlier this month when it said it wouldn’t release more information on Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died behind bars while awaiting trial in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges.
Facing mounting pressure, the Justice Department last Friday asked a federal judge to unseal some grand jury documents from Epstein’s case.
That has not been good enough for Massie and others who are demanding the administration fulfill its promise to provide a full accounting of the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Tuesday questioned Massie’s and Democrats’ timing, saying they had four years to bring this up.
“Let me just say about Thomas Massie, could you just accept my southern ‘bless his heart,'” Johnson said. “I don’t know what else to say about it. We’re for maximum transparency. We’re engaging in that right now, and we don’t need political games.”
Johnson announced the House would begin its August vacation early on Wednesday, a move that puts off a vote on any measures requiring the disclosure of the files.
Massie said Monday that the momentum for full disclosure will continue building over the summer break.
“This is not going away,” he said. “Less than 10% of the American people believe that this shouldn’t be released, and the legislation that we wrote protects the victims and protects national security, so there’s no reason not to release everything that they’ve got.”
President Donald Trump is once again attacking Massie, after previous spats over the president’s signature tax and spending bill and the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites.
In an online post Monday night, he called Massie “the worst Republican Congressman,” and a “real loser,” adding, “Looking for someone good to run against this guy, someone I can Endorse and vigorously campaign for!”
Massie responded by using the president’s comments in a fundraising post, saying he was “not backing down.”
With more than a dozen co-sponsors, including Republicans, Massie said Monday that he believes he will be able to get the required 218 signatures to force a vote on his legislation when lawmakers return in September.
