On Tuesday, Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie defied the MAGA minions of his own party when he moved to force a House of Representatives floor vote to compel the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release additional files in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Massie filed a discharge petition, which bypasses the usual process for bringing a measure to a vote so long as at least half the House members sign in support of the petition.
News quickly spread online that the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, through White House channels, said signing the petition would be viewed as a "very hostile act."
Multiple news organizations reported that when they approached the White House press office for an official statement, they were all provided the same unattributed quote for publication.
The White House response stated:
"Helping Thomas Massie and Liberal Democrats with their attention-seeking, while the DOJ is fully supporting a more comprehensive file release effort from the Oversight Committee, would be viewed as a very hostile act to the administration."
Unwilling to protect sex offenders that prey on children, Massie responded to that White House statement on X, writing:
"White House says helping me secure a vote to release all the Epstein files is a 'Hostile Act'."
"They’re threatening anyone who helps bring true transparency and justice for the survivors."
"This is a tacit admission the Oversight Committee data release is woefully incomplete."
When asked about the issue, Representative Massie said:
"I don't know if that's precedented in this country to have a President call legislators to say that they're engaged in a hostile act, particularly when the so-called hostile act is trying to get justice for people who've been victims of sex crimes."
People appreciated Representative Massie's willingness to seek justice for Epstein's victims—even if Trump and his MAGA supporters prefer to protect the sex offenders in the Epstein files.
@762eagle/X
@odinikaeze/X
@NanciNanci7/X
@saltyAFzebra/X
@1drcole/X
Representative Massie said during a Wednesday news conference with Epstein survivors that he expects every Democrat will sign his petition.
The Kentucky Republican called on Republicans to do the same to show they're also unwilling to shield sex offenders and put their money where their mouth is about protecting children.
As of this writing, only three additional Republicans have signed Representative Massie's discharge petition: Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
Representative Massie said on Tuesday:
"There’s a major pressure campaign from the White House right now, and also from the [House] Speaker [Mike Johnson]. But I think there are enough Republicans who are listening to their constituents and care about these victims that we’ll get the 218 signatures we need.”
If two more Republicans sign, MAGA GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson would have to bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act—a bill backed by Massie and California Democratic Representative Ro Khanna—to a vote. Their measure requires the release of flight logs, plea bargains, internal communications about the Epstein case, and various other documents.
All of these documents would have become part of the official court records if Epstein had not died while in the custody of Trump's DOJ in August of 2019.
@jimmyfallon/Instagram