Massie Vows to Keep Pushing Trump on Epstein After August Recess

Rep. Thomas Massie has vowed to force a vote on his resolution to release the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein files after the House returns from its August recess.

The Kentucky Republican and his Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Ro Khanna, renewed their calls for the files during a pair of Sunday show appearances this week and lashed out at House Speaker Mike Johnson for allowing the chamber to leave Washington for its annual August recess without acting on the issue.

“I think the pressure will build over August recess,” he said during an interview on ABC’s This Week. “I don’t think it will dissipate like the Speaker hopes that it will.”

Massie also said he believes the issue will become political kryptonite come next year’s midterms if Republicans do not provide some transparency into the government’s probe of the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.

“This is going to hurt Republicans in the midterms, the voters will be apathetic if we don’t hold the rich and powerful accountable,” Massie said during a separate appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.

The bipartisan duo introduced the legislation two weeks ago in response to a Department of Justice memo that claimed investigators had not found a so-called “client list” and would not be releasing any further documents from the government’s case file. They are using a process called a discharge petition, which allows them to skip the traditional committee vote and bring the resolution directly to the full House floor for consideration.

Both Khanna and Massie were quick to point out Sunday that they were not on a mission to expose President Donald Trump’s potential involvement in Epstein’s operation.

Though his lapsed friendship with Epstein has been well reported, there is currently no evidence of Trump himself engaging in any wrongdoing. The entire saga was given new life last week following a pair of Wall Street Journal reports that alleged Trump sent Epstein a lewd personal letter for his 50th birthday, and that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump that his name appeared in the Justice Department’s investigative case shortly before she went public with her decision not to release any further files.

“It’s important that this is not something anti-President Trump, this is for transparency,” Khanna said during his appearance on This Week. “I’m less concerned about his mentions. I’m much more concerned about the hundreds of people who were powerful and rich, who had impunity.”

“I don’t think the president himself is particularly implicated in these files,” Massie added. “I think he has friends who may be embarrassed by the release of these files. The release of the files may not implicate them, but it may be embarrassing.”

Khanna and Massie did disagree on one issue in particular: A potential pardon for Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. On Friday, Trump said he would consider it, telling reporters: “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also met with Maxwell on Thursday and Friday to discuss the case. Maxwell’s attorney, David Markus, said she discussed close to “100 different people” involved in the case with the high-ranking Trump administration official.

When pressed by Meet the Press host Kristen Welker about whether he would support a pardon for Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence, Massie said: “Whatever they need to do to compel her testimony, as long as it’s truthful, I would be in favor of.”

Khanna, however, disagreed, saying he was “concerned” about her meeting with Blanche last week.

“Look, I agree with Congressman Massie that she should testify, but she’s been indicted twice on perjury,” Khanna said. “This is why we need the files.”