Rep. Thomas Massie, a conservative Republican from Kentucky known for clashing with party leaders, filed a discharge petition on Tuesday aimed at forcing a floor vote to compel the Justice Department to release all files from the Jeffrey Epstein case. He teamed up with Democratic co-author Rep. Ro Khanna of California, and they began gathering signatures to reach the 218-seat threshold needed to bypass the leadership and force a vote.
If the petition garners the required 218 signatures, there is a seven legislative-day waiting period before a vote can be scheduled, after which the House speaker has two legislative days to bring the measure to the floor. In theory, the earliest a final vote could occur would be two weeks from now. Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leaders have opposed the move, arguing that the House Oversight Committee is already investigating the matter and reviewing a tranche of Epstein records.
Massie argued that the discharge petition is needed to accelerate disclosure, noting in a post on X that the move would compel transparency even if it bypasses leadership. Johnson dismissed the petition as meaningless, saying it would not safeguard victims’ identities and criticizing the drafting of the measure.
The push comes as survivors of Epstein’s crimes travel to Washington for a series of public and private events. On Tuesday, survivors met behind closed doors with a bipartisan group of Oversight Committee members, a gathering Johnson joined, calling the meeting “heartbreaking and infuriating that justice has been delayed.” Massie and Khanna are slated to host another news conference on Wednesday, with Massie saying about 10 survivors will participate, some of whom have never spoken publicly before. Khanna described the survivors’ testimony as potentially explosive.
Even with the discharge effort underway, the House Oversight Committee continues its Epstein investigations from the summer recess. The panel has held closed-door depositions with several key witnesses, including former Attorney General William Barr, and has issued subpoenas to former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, Robert Mueller, and Jeff Sessions, as well as Alberto Gonzales. Sessions, Gonzales, and Holder have sworn affidavits stating they had no knowledge of the Epstein affair in exchange for not appearing; Mueller is not expected to testify due to health reasons. The committee has scheduled a transcribed interview with Alex Acosta, who previously oversaw the Epstein case and sealed a nonprosecution agreement in 2008, and has subpoenaed Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell for deposition.
The panel has received hundreds of documents from the Justice Department related to Epstein and is expecting more. It has also subpoenaed Epstein’s estate for documents, with the estate expected to respond this week. Among items in the estate’s possession is Epstein’s so-called “birthday book,” which The Wall Street Journal reported contains an explicit message attributed to Donald Trump. Trump has denied authoring the message and has sued the Journal over the reporting; NBC News has not independently verified the claim.
The developments reflect ongoing efforts to bring more transparency to a case that has long drawn scrutiny over how investigations were handled and why certain records were kept from public view. Advocates for Epstein survivors have pressed lawmakers to push for full disclosure while balancing the need to protect victims’ privacy.
Additional context and possible impact:
– A discharge petition is a rare tool that can flip the outcome if a majority signs on, signaling broad frustrations with leadership on a specific issue.
– The Epstein matter remains politically combustible, with survivors’ testimonies and new document disclosures potentially shaping future legislative steps or oversight actions.
– While the immediate goal is disclosure, lawmakers emphasize safeguarding the identities of victims in any released materials.
Summary: A bipartisan effort led by Massie and Khanna seeks to compel full disclosure of Epstein case files through a discharge petition, signaling a push to accelerate transparency amid ongoing Oversight Committee investigations and survivors’ advocacy, with a series of high-profile depositions, subpoenas, and ongoing document requests shaping the path forward. The move carries potential for progress, but faces political hurdles and concerns about victim privacy.