Trump foe Thomas Massie wins over MAGA allies with his push for Epstein files
Many of Trump's MAGA allies on and off Capitol Hill are frustrated with Trump and top officials in his administration for dragging their feet in releasing the government's remaining documents and records related to Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender.
But they're rooting for Massie, who has leaned into the fight in recent weeks and made it his sole mission to get the files released. It is a rare issue on which Massie aligns more closely with many of Trump's own supporters than Trump himself. That's a big shift for Massie, a Kentucky conservative who was swimming against the current in his opposition to Trump's megabill by raising debt concerns that fell on deaf ears with other Republicans.
Nearly a dozen House conservatives have signed on to Massie's resolution to defy Trump and force Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish 'all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials' that the Justice Department and FBI possess. Thirteen Democrats, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi of California and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have joined the effort, as well.
'I have the people on my side,' Massie told reporters, pointing to a CBS News/YouGov poll that found that 89% of U.S. adults want all of the Epstein files released.
Republicans split evenly in the CBS poll when they were asked whether they're 'satisfied' or 'dissatisfied' with Trump's handling of the Epstein case. That's very unusual for Trump, who tends to win lopsidedly high marks from self-identified Republicans on his handling of issues. A recent Quinnipiac University poll also found the GOP split about evenly when it comes to Trump's handling of the Epstein matter.
The CBS poll found that Trump's overall approval rating has fallen to 42% but that 89% of Republicans approve of the job he has done in his first six months back in office.
Massie leans into confrontation with Trump
Massie is boldly going where no other Republican in Congress dares go: running for re-election while leaning into a confrontation with Trump, who has threatened to support a primary challenger to oust him in the GOP contest.
Massie told NBC News that Trump and his allies are wasting their time, vowing that their efforts to unseat him will not only fail but also backfire.
'They've spent $1.8 million against me so far in my congressional district. I think it's had very little effect, but they're trying to beat up on me to keep everybody else in line here. and I think it's not working,' Massie said. 'I think it's going to backfire tremendously.'
'They're wasting millions of dollars against me, and they're going to lose the majority because of that,' he said. 'I think it will embolden Republicans who are right now, quietly, agreeing with me but saying: 'I'm afraid of winning my primary. Let's see if you can win yours, Massie.''
Massie's confidence drew a clapback from Calvin Moore, a former House GOP campaign operative, who said on X, 'How'd that work out for [Bob Good?],' referring to the former Virginia congressman who lost his 2024 primary to a Trump-backed challenger.
Massie's foray into the Epstein saga has also sparked a personal, very public row between him and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Johnson, a Trump loyalist, said Wednesday that 'Republicans stand for maximum transparency and truth' and are 'pushing for the release of all credible information' about the Epstein matter, but he added that Massie's Epstein resolution with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., would provide no protection for victims' identities.
'We have ... a moral obligation to protect people who have been the victims of these unspeakable crimes so that their names are not drug through the mud,' Johnson said.
A day earlier, Johnson invoked Massie at his weekly news conference, showing unusual frustration and saying that he was baffled by Massie's motivation in the Epstein matter and that 'some people seem to enjoy trying to inflict political pain on their own teammates.'
Massie later told reporters that introducing his Epstein resolution now would give his effort momentum over the House's five-week summer recess, which begins Thursday. He and Khanna, Massie said, plan to file a so-called discharge petition to force a vote on their resolution when the House returns in September if they can win support from 218 members.
Then, in a midnight post on X, Massie shot back at Johnson: '@SpeakerJohnson, why are you running cover for an underage sex trafficking ring and pretending this is a partisan issue? MAGA voted for this.'
Johnson's office didn't respond to a request for comment about Massie's post. Johnson has repeatedly said anyone who has committed sex crimes should be prosecuted.
And Massie's effort has been elevated by some podcasters credited with boosting Trump in the 2024 election, including Theo Von, who recently said on X, 'Why cant we put the @RoKhanna @RepThomasMassie bill for a vote this week @SpeakerJohnson @JDVance??'
Von also publicly questioned why Vance isn't standing by his earlier comment on Von's own show that 'we need to release the Epstein list; that is an important thing.'
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Cory Mills of Florida and Nancy Mace of South Carolina are among the Republicans who have signed on to the Massie-Khanna resolution. Massie also has an ally in Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a fellow self-described libertarian who describes Massie as a good friend.
'I'm a big supporter of his, and vice versa. I'm planning a 10-city tour with him in September to support him, and we will do what it takes. We both represent sort of the liberty wing of the Republican Party,' Paul said. 'We want to make sure that we don't allow anybody to come in and try to defeat him.'
Paul is the only GOP senator who voted against Trump's megabill because of debt concerns, but, unlike Massie, he doesn't face re-election until 2028. Paul said he's 'very confident' Massie will beat a Trump-backed challenge.
'He's the most fiscally conservative member of the House. He's the most pro-gun member of the House, most pro-Bill of Rights person in the House,' Paul said. 'Good sense of humor, travels the district and is somebody who pays attention to his constituents. I think he'll do well.'
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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