The continued concealment of Jeffrey Epstein-related records may be linked to potential revelations that could embarrass powerful individuals in both the United States and allied nations, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Tuesday on Newsmax.
Appearing on "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Massie defended his efforts to force the release of the sealed files, even as some Republicans have expressed discomfort over the political implications.
"Well, you know, the files exist. There are some files there. This is not a hoax," Massie said. "I'm convinced — based on the things that the FBI director [Kash Patel] and [Attorney General] Pam Bondi said earlier and [Vice President] JD Vance — that these files are there.
"I think it would be very embarrassing for the rich and powerful in this country and in other countries to have these revelations out there, and that's probably why they're not releasing them," he said.
Massie has introduced a discharge petition in the House aimed at forcing a vote on full disclosure.
"It takes seven days for my bill to ripen. And, you know, guess what? The speaker is putting us on August recess on the sixth day. But this will just pause it. It will resume when we return in September. And that's when I can force a vote on this," he said.
When asked what might be so damaging in the sealed materials, Massie pointed to past reports of clandestine deals and intelligence ties.
"Look, there have been plea deals. There have been bargains. There are things we don't know about that we need to know about. There have been payoffs. There's been hush money," Massie said.
"This may even implicate some of our allies, some foreign intelligence — for instance, Israel. And that's not fiction. That's from a court document that Epstein was attached to intelligence services. That was from an earlier court document from one of his earlier deals."
Massie dismissed criticism that he is aligning with Democrats for political gain, saying he had also called for these records under President Joe Biden.
"I did it three years ago and two years ago and a year ago. There are some people on the Democrat side of the aisle who are not sincere at all. But, look, I'm not going to get into a partisan food fight over this," he said.
While noting his collaboration with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., on the issue, Massie emphasized his independence.
"I do believe that my colleague Ro Khanna is sincere in his desire to release these," he said.
Asked why more lawmakers aren't joining the push, Massie responded: "I am the only one who's got the spine to walk down there to the floor of the House and introduce this. The question is: Why didn't 434 other members do this?"
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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