As Trump claims Epstein 'hoax,' Reps. Massie and Khanna push to release files

Austin Horn, Lexington Herald-Leader on Jul 16, 2025

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U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., have introduced a petition in favor of releasing most files related to the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the late disgraced financier and child sex offender.

The Department of Justice’s reluctance to produce more documents related to Epstein since President Donald Trump took office has rankled many on the far right. Those same people took heart in Trump’s insinuations during his presidential campaign that he would declassify the files related to Epstein, and in the early days of the presidency when Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was in possession of a “client list.”

Now they’re upset with Trump’s administration over not producing a “client list” or a full set of files on Esptein’s criminal behavior.

The petition has garnered support among those with frustrations on both sides of the political aisle. It would force a vote in the U.S. House on releasing the files related to Epstein.

“We all deserve to know what’s in the Epstein files, who’s implicated, and how deep this corruption goes. Americans were promised justice and transparency. We’re introducing a discharge petition to force a vote in the US House of Representatives on releasing the COMPLETE files,” Massie wrote on X Tuesday.

The discharge petition would need to be signed by a majority of U.S. House members in order to force a vote on the matter.

Epstein died in custody while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His arrest and death, given his ties to many of the world’s elite, sparked many theories about the nature of his death, government involvement and more. Epstein has appeared in photos with political leaders like Trump and former Democratic President Bill Clinton as well as titans of industry like Bill Gates and Elon Musk.

Trump has downplayed the files even as many prominent supporters, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene and podcaster Joe Rogan, and others have criticized the administration over it.

In a post to Truth Social over the weekend, Trump told supporters to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about,” and referred to it as a “hoax.”

The president also spread baseless conspiracies that the files were created by Democrats to go after him, and encouraged his supporters to not criticize Bondi.

Bondi has been the subject of intense criticism from the party’s far right given her previous statements on the matter. Earlier this year year, she said the Epstein “client list” was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” Around the same time, she gave right-wing influencers binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” which mostly contained already public documents.

Trump officials like FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino previously called for the release of the “client list” before they took their official positions.

Patel urged officials to “put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are,” and Bongino alleged that Democrats were “hiding” the list.

Now those two are backtracking on their fervor to release all the files and their previous suggestions that Epstein did not take his own life.

Joining in the call for the release of the files is Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky.

“Well, I just think it’s the right thing,” McGarvey said. “Sunlight’s the best disinfectant. Let’s have transparency on this. Now for Trump, we’ve watched him lie repeatedly over the years. The problem is this is a lie he has a hard time getting out of. He was either lying about everything he ever said about Jeffrey Epstein or he’s lying about releasing the files.”

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., has a different view.

In response to a question on if he intended to sign the petition, Barr responded “no.”

“We shouldn’t give floor time for distractions,” Barr wrote in a statement to the Lexington Herald-Leader. “President Trump and I are focused on delivering for Kentucky families, farmers, and miners. And this week, I’m fighting alongside the President to make America the home of crypto while ensuring we don’t have a government controlled digital currency. We need to stick together and deliver the President’s agenda.”

Barr is currently seeking to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is not seeking reelection in the 2026 election cycle. Trump’s support is seen as a major boost in the Republican primary contest for that seat.

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