The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday released tens of thousands of Jeffrey Epstein-related files it had received from the Justice Department, as the controversy surrounding the case intensified with lawmakers’ return to Washington.
While more than 30,000 pages were made public, the committee’s release may not represent the totality of the Epstein-related documents in the Justice Department’s possession.
Still, the files – which include flight logs, court filings, jail surveillance footage, redacted records, depositions and memos – fuel intrigue in a case that has at times driven a wedge between President Donald Trump and his own party.
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The Republican-led House panel obtained the documents as part of a subpoena to the Justice Department last month, and the committee, in the days since, moved to redact sensitive information in them.
As the panel readied the files’ release Tuesday, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie pushed forward with his effort to compel the publication of the case files in full – a vote that House GOP leaders have sought to head off.
Massie’s decision to officially move ahead with his bipartisan bill to force the Justice Department to release the files breathed new life into an issue that has caused headaches for the Trump administration and threatens to put Hill Republicans on the spot over the politically contentious issue.
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“People want these files released. I mean, look, it’s not the biggest issue in the country. It’s taxes, jobs, the economy, those are always the big issues. But you really can’t solve any of that if this place is corrupt,” Massie said.
Just hours after returning from their summer recess, GOP lawmakers were facing intense pressure from their base to make a decision on whether to support the Kentucky Republican’s resolution, or risk accusations that they are against transparency around the case.
Massie formally introduced his resolution Tuesday afternoon, kicking off a frenzied week in which he and his Democratic cosponsor, Rep. Ro Khanna, will attempt to get the 218 signatures needed to circumvent leadership and force a vote on the House floor.
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Massie expressed confidence that he and Khanna could get six Republicans to join all 212 House Democrats in supporting their petition, despite what he said were attempts by the White House to halt the effort.
“There’s a major pressure campaign from the White House right now, and also from the speaker, 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,” he said.
“Nobody’s tried to get me to stop doing it. I have texted with Mike Johnson as recently as yesterday,” Massie later told reporters, refusing to disclose what Johnson had said to him.
And any vows from Trump and his allies to mount a primary against Massie doesn’t worry him, the congressman said.
“I’ve already poked the hornet’s nest here. And you know, once you’re, once you’re in for a penny, you’re in for a pound, we’re going to get these files released,” he said.
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