'Bypassing leadership': GOP lawmaker to put fellow Republicans on the record over Epstein
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson answers journalists' questions as he returns to his office following the signing of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
The widening rift between President Donald Trump and the MAGA base over convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is now embroiling the House Republican Conference.
That's according to a Tuesday post by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who announced on the social media platform X that he was introducing a so-called "discharge petition" in the House of Representatives. If successful, the measure would force House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to hold a public vote on whether to compel the Department of Justice to release all of the information it has on the Epstein case, which has become a lightning rod for Republican politics in recent years.
"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," Massie tweeted.
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In a follow-up post, Massie wrote that a discharge petition "is a procedural tool for bypassing leadership" on legislation. The Kentucky Republican told his followers that he can officially begin gathering signatures on the petition in seven days, and that should it garner 218 votes, the full House of Representatives can officially vote on the measure.
"If your Representative won’t sign the discharge petition, ask why," Massie wrote.
Politico reported that the likelihood of Massie's discharge petition actually accumulating 218 signatures is slim, as "many majority-party members hesitant to buck their own leaders even if they support the underlying premise." However, the petition could ultimately prove successful, with Speaker Johnson publicly calling on the Trump administration to release the full Epstein files in the name of "transparency."
"I like Pam [Bondi], I think she’s done a good job but we need the DOJ focusing on the major priorities," Johnson said in a Tuesday interview with far-right podcaster Benny Johnson. “I’m anxious to put this behind us.”
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