Rep. Thomas Massey from Kentucky is at odds with some fellow Republicans over their reluctance to push the Department of Justice to disclose information related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju, Massey voiced concerns about the political implications of his colleagues’ stance.
“For me, this is about policy rather than politics, but from a political perspective, it’s just not good for the Republicans,” he remarked. “They really ought to just vote on it and move on.”
Massey pointed out that the party’s current position contradicts what many of their supporters want.
“It’s not only independents and Democrats who desire the release of these documents,” he noted, adding that polling shows “80%” of Republicans favor making more files public. “That puts them at odds with our base now, especially the MAGA supporters.”
Republican leaders are advising their colleagues to steer clear of Massey’s discharge petition, which seeks to sidestep party leadership and compel a vote on his “Epstein File Transparency Act.” This proposed legislation mandates that the DOJ unveil all documents related to the investigations into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have criticized that legislation, advocating instead for a different proposal aimed at strengthening the ongoing Epstein investigation being conducted by the House Oversight Committee.
Advocates for Massey’s initiative, including a victim who was present at the Capitol on Wednesday, have dismissed Johnson’s alternative as lacking the necessary strength to compel the release of more documents from the Trump administration.
“Their resolution doesn’t accomplish anything meaningful. It’s a common tactic to slow progress,” Massey said on Wednesday. “When you want to stifle momentum, you introduce a placebo — another bill that doesn’t really do much — and hope to mislead the public.”
“That won’t be the case this time,” he added firmly.
The discharge petition requires backing from 218 members of the House to be successful. Supporters need six Republicans to join, as all 212 Democrats are expected to be in favor. Currently, four GOP members have signed on: Massey, Nancy Mace from South Carolina, Lauren Boebert from Colorado, and Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia.
Greene mentioned that she has faced “significant” resistance from the White House, which is backing the petition.
