A rebel Republican congressman has invited multiple victims of Jeffrey Epstein to a press conference at the U.S. Capitol as part of a bipartisan push to force the release of legal files linked to the late pedophile.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a thorn in Donald Trump’s side for his frequent objections to the president’s spending bills and foreign policies, said that he and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna will be co-hosting the Sept. 3 conference.
The event will feature survivors of abuse by Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, several of whom “will be speaking out for the first time,” according to the two lawmakers.
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Massie and Khanna will also provide an update on their discharge petition which would force a House vote on releasing the Epstein files, as well as discuss their Epstein Files Transparency Act which, if passed, would require Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all documents related to the billionaire financier in a “searchable and downloadable format.”
“The survivors deserve justice and Americans deserve transparency,” Massie and Khanna both posted on X.
The move from the lawmakers echoes a stunt Trump tried to pull to embarrass his 2016 election rival, Hillary Clinton. Ahead of the October 2016 televised presidential debate, Trump appeared at a press conference with three women who accused former president Bill Clinton of sexual assault–Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey—as well as a fourth woman who was raped as a child by a man that Hillary Clinton defended during her legal career. Bill Clinton has denied the three women’s allegations.
Trump’s team even planned to have the women sit next to Bill Clinton in the family boxes during the debate, but it was thwarted with just minutes to spare, according to The Washington Post.
“Americans are tired of our government shielding the rich and powerful from accountability. The victims of Epstein and Maxwell’s crimes deserve justice, while the public deserves transparency,” Khanna told the Daily Beast.
A spokesperson for Massie refereed back to the Republican’s earlier social media post when contacted for comment.
Even before Massie helped pile on the pressure on Trump over the administration’s backpedaling on its promise to release the Epstein files, the Kentucky congressman had felt the wrath of the president.
Massie has made a name for himself for dissenting on GOP-backed legislation, including twice voting against the president’s “One Big Beautiful” spending bill.
Massie has also been highly critical of the U.S. backing of Israel over the war in Gaza and of Trump’s decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities in airstrikes.
Trump hasn’t been subtle in expression his hatred of Massie, and has frequently called for him to be primaried and voted out of office.
In a July 21 post on Truth Social, Trump called Massie the “worst Republican Congressman” and an “embarrassment to Kentucky.”
“He’s lazy, slow moving, and totally disingenuous - A real loser! Never has anything positive to add. Looking for someone good to run against this guy, someone I can Endorse and vigorously campaign for,” he added.
Trump, a longtime friend of Epstein whose name is reported to feature in the files, has been unable to shake off claims of a cover-up over the pedophile, who died in a Manhattan jail in August 2019, despite his multiple distraction attempts.
Last week, Trump denied reports that several of the top officials in his administration, including Vice President JD Vance, Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel, held a secret meeting to discuss the best way to handle the Epstein crisis.
Trump suggested the “whole thing is a hoax,” orchestrated by the Democrats.
“It’s put out by the Democrats because we’ve had the most successful six months in the history of our country, and that’s just a way of trying to divert attention to something that’s total bulls--t,” Trump said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
