‘I’m Winning’: Thomas Massie To Review More Epstein Files, Keep Public Pressure on DOJ

Congressman Thomas Massie plans to review more of the Jeffrey Epstein files on Tuesday as he seeks to make public the names of men accused by young women and girls of sexual abuse. Mr. Massie says he has already learned the names of six men who may have been involved in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation, and that all of those names need to be made public. Mr. Massie and a Democrat, Congressman Ro Khanna, traveled to the Justice Department on Monday to review the unredacted versions of the files. In recent months, the DOJ has released millions of documents related to Epstein’s abuses and business dealings, including his ties to some of the most powerful people in the world. A law authored by Messrs. Massie and Khanna — the Epstein Files Transparency Act — requires that the DOJ release all files with as few redactions as possible. The only permissible reasons for hiding information is if it would identify victims, expose child pornography, threaten America’s national security, or undermine ongoing investigations. Protecting the reputations of powerful individuals is not a valid justification to redact information, the law states. After returning from the DOJ’s headquarters on Monday, Mr. Massie told reporters that he has no plans to stop his crusade soon. “I’m not frustrated — I’m winning,” he said with a smile. Mr. Massie and a former lawmaker, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, threatened to read the names of the alleged sexual abusers into the congressional record on the House floor, where they would be immune from any kind of lawsuit or criminal prosecution. The Speech and Debate Clause of the Constitution explicitly states that House members or senators shall not be “questioned” for anything said in the respective chambers. Mr. Massie is not yet prepared to take such drastic action, however. He says taking that step would be the “nuclear option” for him. “What we want is for the DOJ to release these names. I found six names of men that they’ve redacted improperly, I believe,” Mr. Massie said. He claims the six men include a well-known retired former chief executive officer, a “sultan,” and four other “shady” men. He declined to offer specifics when asked by the New York Sun, though he did tell reporters that the retired chief executive is listed as “a co-conspirator” in FBI documents. Mr. Massie spoke to the lawyer for several of Epstein’s victims before he went to the DOJ to review the unredacted documents today, he says. Those women have rallied at the U.S. Capitol twice alongside Messrs. Massie and Khanna to advocate for a total release of the files. He says to go onto the House floor and simply reading the names of the six men — or any others who turn up in the files — would be akin to waving a “white flag,” because he wants to force the DOJ to follow the law. The Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the DOJ to release not only explanations for why certain redactions are made, but for internal communications about the necessity for redactions to be turned over to Congress, as well. The DOJ has failed to produce such information, despite the text of the law. Messrs. Massie and Khanna had threatened Attorney General Pam Bondi with what is known as inherent contempt, which, if such a resolution were to be passed by the House, she would be fined for every day she failed to comply with the law. Mr. Massie now says that he is pumping the breaks on that measure, saying that he is making progress in forcing additional disclosures. “We’ve got to litigate the production of these three million files,” Mr. Massie told the Sun of the documents that were released last week. “I think it’s going to motivate the release of the other stuff.”

‘I’m Winning’: Thomas Massie To Review More Epstein Files, Keep Public Pressure on DOJ

‘I’m Winning’: Thomas Massie To Review More Epstein Files, Keep Public Pressure on DOJ

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