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Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has launched a petition in the House of Representatives to force a vote on releasing the Justice Department’s complete file on Jeffrey Epstein. He argues that the public and Epstein’s victims deserve full transparency, especially since recent document releases have mostly consisted of material already available to the public.
Massie’s petition needs 218 signatures to succeed, and he has the backing of Democrat Ro Khanna. Democrats are largely expected to support the effort, meaning only a small number of Republicans would need to join. This push comes as the House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of pages of Epstein-related documents, though critics said nearly all of it contained nothing new.
The dispute has become a political flashpoint as House Republican leaders prefer to handle the issue through ongoing committee work, but Massie and his allies believe that approach is inadequate. They say a direct vote is necessary to hold powerful figures accountable and to rebuild trust in government institutions.
Reference: The Daily Beast. (2025, September 2). Trump’s GOP Nemesis Fights to Force Epstein Files Release. Retrieved from https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-gop-nemesis-fights-to-force-epstein-files-release