Thomas Massie says move could be Trump\u2019s \u2018last-ditch effort\u2019 to keep Epstein files from becoming public<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republican congressman Thomas Massie challenged Donald Trump on Sunday over whether the US president is making a \u201clast-ditch effort\u201d to keep the full files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> from becoming public by ordering a fresh investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Massie and Democratic congressman Ro Khanna, the two US representatives leading the bipartisan push to make all the files held by the government public both raised fresh concerns about the latest actions by the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking on ABC\u2019s This Week<\/a>, Massie criticized Trump for ordering attorney general Pam Bondi on Friday to examine Democrats<\/a> with ties to Epstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This despite emails released last week by the House of Representatives\u2019 oversight committee that suggest Trump was aware<\/a> of Epstein\u2019s conduct and that Epstein had also advised Steve Bannon<\/a>, a key figure in Trump\u2019s Make America Great Again (Maga) base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe president\u2019s been saying this is a hoax,\u201d Massie said, referring to several claims<\/a> Trump has made in reaction to repeated calls for full disclosure of the files. \u201cHe\u2019s been saying that for months. Well, he\u2019s just now decided to investigate a hoax, if it\u2019s a hoax. And I have another concern about these investigations that he\u2019s announced. If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can\u2019t be released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, this might be a big smokescreen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them, as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ABC anchor Jonathan Karl asked Massie about what the Epstein records might contain and why Trump appears afraid of what they might reveal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou know, I\u2019ve never said that these files will implicate Donald Trump<\/a>,\u201d Massie replied. \u201cAnd I really don\u2019t think that they will. I think he\u2019s trying to protect a bunch of rich and powerful friends, billionaires, donors to his campaign, friends in his social circles. That\u2019s my operating theory on why he\u2019s trying so hard to keep these files closed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Massie also said it was possible that more than 100 House Republicans may vote in favor of releasing the Epstein files, documents currently held by the justice department related to the alleged crimes and alleged clientele of the late financier and sex offender, when the measure reaches the House floor for a vote<\/a> this week. He urged skeptics to rethink their position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would remind my Republican colleagues who are deciding how to vote: Donald Trump can protect you in red districts right now by giving you an endorsement. But in 2030, he\u2019s not going to be the president, and you will have voted to protect pedophiles if you don\u2019t vote to release these files, and the president can\u2019t protect you then. This vote, the record of this vote, will last longer than Donald Trump\u2019s presidency,\u201d Massie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, Khanna of California said moments later on NBC News\u2019 Meet the Press that the effort was \u201cnot about Donald Trump\u201d and encouraged the president to meet with the victims<\/a> who have survived Epstein\u2019s alleged sex-trafficking ring and have since spoken out<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re asking for is justice for the survivors,\u201d Khanna said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s not about Donald Trump. I don\u2019t even know how involved Trump was. There are a lot of other people who are involved who have to be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also noted that many survivors who have spoken publicly about their abuse will be in Washington on Tuesday, where they plan to request a meeting with Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Epstein killed himself in prison<\/a> in 2019 while awaiting federal trial in New York on sex crimes, having previously served time<\/a> in Florida for sex offenses after negotiating a plea deal<\/a> there in 2008. His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell<\/a>, is currently in prison<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House, said on Sunday he believed the approaching vote would help put an end to allegations that the president had any ties to Epstein\u2019s abuse and trafficking of underage girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019re doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not,\u201d Johnson said of critics, on the Fox News Sunday program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEpstein is their [Democrats] entire game plan, so we\u2019re going to take that weapon out of their hands,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cLet\u2019s just get this done and move it on. There\u2019s nothing to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Senate is thought unlikely to produce the necessary support to advance the legislation, however, and Senate majority whip John Barrasso, speaking on NBC on Sunday, declined to commit to holding a vote even if the pending bill passes in the House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Georgia Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene<\/a> has also demanded the release of all the Epstein documents, despite it<\/a> causing a rift with Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n