Rep. Massie Petition, Epstein Victims Before House

With Congress back in session, the House Oversight Committee is meeting privately with Jeffrey Epstein's accusers and victims Tuesday as the wrangling over transparency and a release of documents continues.

Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., have planned a Wednesday news conference with the victims and accusers of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes.

"Our press conference with 10 victims of Epstein's sex trafficking is at 10:30 AM on September 3," Massie posted on X. "I pray @SpeakerJohnson will listen to the pleas of these victims for justice and quit trying to block a vote on our legislation to release the Epstein files."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has also voiced support for releasing the Epstein files, but he delayed action until this session in order to complete additional interviews and gather more documents first.

Undaunted, Massie is working with Democrats to force the speaker's hand with a discharge petition that remains active, circulating for signatures among the House membership, Punchbowl News reported Monday.

Khanna told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday he is "very confident" the bill he has authored with Massie will pass.

"I'm very confident it will," Khanna said. "I spoke to congressman Massie. You had us both on a few weeks ago. We will have the petition live on Sept. 2. We have all 212 Democrats committed to signing it. He has 12 Republicans. Only six of them have to sign it."

Amid the push for Epstein transparency, there have been Justice Department interviews with Maxwell and talk of a potential commutation of her prison sentence for her cooperation. Maxwell told the DOJ that President Donald Trump did not do anything inappropriate around her, she is unaware of Epstein having kept a client list, and she does not believe her former boyfriend, convicted of sex trafficking, had committed suicide in jail in 2019.

Khanna, with help from Massie — a Republican who has fallen out with Trump and his MAGA base — is pushing Democrats' effort to link Trump to Epstein, and he has promised an "explosive" news conference with Epstein and Maxwell victims.

"What will be explosive is the Sept. 3 press conference that both of us are having with 10 Epstein victims, many who have never spoken out before," Khanna told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "They're going to be on the steps of the Capitol.

"They will be telling their story, and they will be saying clearly to the American public that they want the release of the Epstein files for full closure on this matter."

Republicans note the narratives attempting to tie Epstein to Trump fail to acknowledge:

The long-reported ties to the Clintons and numerous Democrat figures.
The burying of the Epstein case in the early months of former President Barack Obama's administration.
The actual Epstein arrest, prosecution, conviction, and sentence handed out by the first Trump administration.
The July 2, 2020, arrest of Maxwell during the Trump administration.
The silence on Epstein transparency matters during former President Joe Biden's administration.

These facts have been laid out in response to the latest Epstein firestorm by Trump and his allies in Congress and legal circles.

Massie's Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) forces the House to vote on the complete release of the government's files related to Epstein. A discharge petition has been circulated to force it to the House floor, overriding the speaker's timetable.

"We all deserve to know what's in the Epstein files, who's implicated, and how deep this corruption goes," Massie wrote in a statement. "Americans were promised justice and transparency. We're introducing a discharge petition to force a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on releasing the complete files. If your representative won't sign the discharge petition, ask why."

While Massie's use of Democrats to potentially attack Trump looks like it might be based on Epstein transparency, Trump had long vowed to primary Massie over other bills Massie refused to join Republicans on, instead abstaining or voting with Democrats against the Trump agenda.

Massie then revived his years-long efforts to get Epstein transparency before Americans.

The House under Speaker Johnson is moving in the direction of oversight and transparency, regardless of Massie's objections.

The Oversight Committee has:

Called on Treasury to release Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) related to Epstein.
Formally requested the DOJ release all records related to Epstein.
Issued deposition subpoenas to several former senior government officials: Bill and Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, Robert Mueller, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, and Alberto Gonzales to testify on matters related to crimes perpetrated by Epstein.
Subpoenaed the DOJ for documents related to Epstein. DOJ is complying and has produced over 34,000 pages of documents to date, with more forthcoming.
Subpoenaed Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition.
Subpoenaed the Epstein estate for unredacted documents and communications in its possession, custody, or control.
Announced former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Alexander Acosta will appear voluntarily for a transcribed interview Sept. 19.

Acosta, a member of Newsmax's Board of Directors, negotiated and approved the 2008 nonprosecution agreement that allowed Epstein to plead to lesser state charges and serve 13 months with work release. That deal was later unwound during the Trump administration for a prosecution that led to Epstein being convicted and sent to prison, where he died of a reported suicide.

Oversight's pursuit of transparency has received roadblocks in myriad ways. Just Sunday, a hearing with former FBI Director Robert Mueller was canceled because his family announced he has Parkinson's disease.