Massie Launches Petition to Pry Loose Epstein Files

Rep. Thomas Massie filed a second discharge petition Monday night to force a House vote on a bill that would pry loose the Jeffrey Epstein files the Justice Department has still not handed over.

The Kentucky Republican told The Washington Times he is trying to "capture lightning in a bottle twice." His first discharge petition forced through the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which became law.

The follow-up bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, would give state attorneys general, Epstein's victims and members of Congress standing to sue the DOJ over parts of the original law Massie says it has ignored.

Massie needs 218 signatures to bypass House leadership and force the vote.

What the Bill Does

It gives state attorneys general what Massie calls "unfettered access" to unredacted files so they can prosecute crimes in their own states.

It lets Epstein's victims obtain unredacted material about their own accounts of dealings with Epstein and his associates, including FBI interview notes.

It gives members of Congress standing to sue the department for failing to release everything the original law required.

And it bars the DOJ from invoking deliberative process privilege — or any other common law privilege — as a reason to withhold records. Massie said the department has asserted that privilege, which he called "a creation of the FOIA process" with "nothing to do with our law."

The bill also allows suits to be filed in any federal court, not just the district court in Washington, D.C.