Politics
Rep. Thomas Massie names 14 Jeffrey Epstein associates on House floor, pushing for unredacted files
The Kentucky Republican filed a discharge petition to force a vote on a new transparency bill, alleging the Justice Department continues to withhold millions of records.
The short version
- Representative Thomas Massie publicly listed 14 individuals associated with Jeffrey Epstein during a House floor speech to pressure the Department of Justice over redactions and unreleased files.
- Massie introduced a discharge petition for an updated transparency bill that aims to grant state courts greater access to federal records.
- Reaching the required 218 signatures to bypass House leadership and force a vote will require bipartisan support or action in the next legislative session.
Key facts
- Representative Thomas Massie named 14 Epstein associates on the House floor, including Jes Staley, Leon Black, Les Wexner, Lesley Groff, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.[PBS NewsHour]
- Massie stated that the federal government is withholding over 3 million files despite the previous passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed by President Donald Trump.[PBS NewsHour]
- Massie initiated a discharge petition for the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, requiring 218 signatures to compel a vote on the House floor.[PBS NewsHour]
- The proposed measure would grant state courts increased access to investigation files to aid prosecutions and assist victims.[PBS NewsHour]
- All 14 individuals mentioned by Massie have been cited in previously released Department of Justice documents, though appearance in the records does not inherently establish criminal wrongdoing.[PBS NewsHour]
What remains uncertain
- Whether Massie can secure the three additional Republican signatures needed—assuming full Democratic support—to reach the 218-signature threshold before the midterm elections remains uncertain.[PBS NewsHour]
Sources
- WATCH: Massie names 14 Epstein associates to 'shame' DOJPBS NewsHour - Politics