10
Loading video...
By Hannah Parry
Associate News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The push to force greater disclosure of Jeffrey Epstein-related government records could reach a critical turning point next week, with Representative Thomas Massie predicting he will secure the 218 signatures needed to guarantee a House vote on new transparency legislation.
Massie, a Kentucky Republican, says he expects to obtain the signatures required for a discharge petition supporting the Epstein Files Transparency Act II when lawmakers return to Washington Monday.
The legislation, co-sponsored with Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, would give Epstein survivors, state attorneys general and other authorized officials the ability to take legal action against the Department of Justice (DOJ) over alleged failures to comply with the original transparency law.
Read More on Politics
"When we return next week, we'll get 218 signatures for Epstein Files Transparency Act II, which guarantees a vote," Massie wrote on X. "Survivors will be able to get their own records, State Attorneys General can prosecute crimes, and we can take the DOJ to court for keeping critical files hidden."
Khanna called the new legislation the “Epstein 2.0 Act,” which he said would “allow state attorneys general to prosecute the pedophiles who abused and trafficked young girls.”
The renewed effort follows months of political resistance to the original transparency legislation, with the Trump administration and Republican House leadership initially seeking to prevent a vote.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House, Massie, Khanna and the DOJ for comment.
...
White House's Resistance to First Epstein Bill
In 2025, House Speaker Mike Johnson urged his Republican colleagues not to sign the initial discharge petition, arguing that the House Oversight Committee would provide more details. The petition would have bypassed Johnson and forced the Epstein files legislation toward a House vote.
President Donald Trump also took to Truth Social to attack Democrats pursuing disclosure, accusing them of reviving the Epstein controversy for political purposes. "This is merely another Democrat HOAX," he wrote, before adding: "It's time to end the Democrat Epstein Hoax, and give the Republicans credit for the great, even legendary, job that they are doing."
Trump's comments drew criticism from survivors who argued that the disclosure campaign was about accountability rather than party politics.
Epstein survivor Haley Robson directly challenged the president during a September 2025 appearance alongside lawmakers.
"Mr. President Donald J. Trump, I am a registered Republican, not that that matters because this is not political," she said. "However, I cordially invite you to the Capitol to meet me in person so you can understand this is not a hoax. We are real human beings. This is real trauma."
Massie and Khanna continued their campaign, arguing that the committee investigation did not provide the same legally mandated disclosure deadline as their proposed legislation.
"We all deserve to know what's in the Epstein files, who's implicated, and how deep this corruption goes," Massie said at the time.
...
The administration's pressure also exposed divisions among Republicans. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly acknowledged facing significant pushback over her support for the petition, while other Republican lawmakers came under pressure to withdraw their signatures.
However, the campaign gained support from Democrats across the House, as well as from Greene's fellow GOP congresswomen, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace.
Despite the resistance, the petition secured its 218th signature on November 12, 2025, when newly sworn-in Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva joined the effort.
Trump subsequently reversed course, urging Republicans to support the legislation. "We'll give them everything," he told reporters in the Oval Office on November 17.
The House passed the bill 427-1 the following day, and Trump signed it into law on November 19.
The legislation required the attorney general to make public the DOJ's records relating to Epstein within 30 days, with exceptions for protecting victims and certain sensitive information.
However, the signing did not end the dispute. Massie and Khanna have since accused the Justice Department of failing to fully comply with the disclosure requirements, prompting their latest attempt to give survivors and state officials stronger legal powers to challenge withheld records.
Why Survivors and Lawmakers Remained Unhappy
The Justice Department began releasing records on December 19, 2025, the statutory deadline.
However, the initial disclosure prompted criticism over the volume of material released, the extent of redactions and the absence of records that survivors and lawmakers believed should have been made public.
On January 30, 2026, the Justice Department announced that it had published more than 3 million additional pages. The department said the combined production amounted to nearly 3 1/2 million pages, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.
The DOJ maintained that material not released fell into categories including duplicates, privileged records, material covered by statutory exceptions and documents unrelated to the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases.
But Massie and Khanna continued to question the department's compliance. The lawmakers asked a federal judge to appoint a special master or independent monitor to oversee the disclosure process. Khanna accused the DOJ of failing to protect survivors while also withholding records.
"The Department of Justice is openly defying the law by refusing to release the full Epstein files. Millions of files are being kept from the public," Khanna said.
Massie was similarly critical of then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. "Under her leadership, the Department of Justice is missing statutory disclosure deadlines, making excessive redactions, and illegally withholding the Department's internal communications," he said.
The department has disputed the allegations of noncompliance and says it has undertaken extensive work to identify, review and release responsive records while protecting victims.
The disclosure process has also faced criticism from survivors over the handling of their personal information.
In February, the Justice Department acknowledged problems with redactions after documents were published that exposed sensitive information about victims. The department said it had withdrawn thousands of files for further review and introduced additional procedures to address concerns raised by survivors and their attorneys.
Massie and Khanna Return With a Second Transparency Bill
Frustrated by what they describe as continued failures to comply with the original law, Massie and Khanna introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act II on August 5. The legislation is intended to give survivors and state authorities stronger legal tools to challenge the Justice Department.
It would establish a right for Epstein survivors, state attorneys general, authorized state officials and members of Congress to sue the attorney general over allegedly unlawful withholding, redaction, concealment or delayed publication of records.
It would also give survivors the right to obtain unredacted records concerning themselves and the harm they experienced. Another provision would require the DOJ to provide state and local prosecutors with unredacted investigative records needed for criminal investigations and court proceedings. The legislation also addresses potential misconduct by federal officials who knowingly conceal, destroy, falsify or improperly withhold records.
Khanna said the new bill was necessary because the original transparency legislation had not produced the results lawmakers expected. "Since then, the DOJ has violated our law, delayed the release of millions of files, botched the redactions, and denied the survivors justice," he said when announcing the legislation.
Massie has separately claimed that more than 3 million files remain unlawfully withheld and that substantial redactions continue to obscure information.
Those figures and allegations are disputed by the Justice Department.
Related Story
Where Republicans Are Laying Blame For Midterm Loss
Related Story
Trump Protester Sings Jeffrey Epstein Song as President Repeatedly Heckled
Who Is Mentioned in the Epstein Files?
The released records reference a wide range of prominent figures, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Britain's former Prince Andrew and Elon Musk. Their names appear in different contexts, including emails, photographs, flight records, contact books and witness statements.
Prince Andrew faced allegations from Virginia Giuffre, which he denied before settling her lawsuit in 2022 without admitting liability.
Clinton and Trump have also acknowledged associations with Epstein but denied wrongdoing connected to his crimes.
Appearing in the files does not establish that someone committed a crime or participated in Epstein's abuse.
The documents also contain unverified allegations and information supplied to investigators that has not necessarily been substantiated.
What Happens Next?
The renewed discharge petition could once again put the Epstein files at the center of a major congressional confrontation. In September, Khanna announced that the lawmakers had commitments from 218 members for the second transparency effort, including support from Republican Representatives Ralph Norman, Mace and Brian Fitzpatrick.
Two Democrats who were unable to sign at the time were expected to add their names when Congress returned.
Massie subsequently reiterated his expectation that the required threshold would be secured.
The political landscape has also changed following Tuesday's midterm elections. Democrats are preparing to take control of the House in January, potentially giving them greater authority over congressional investigations and oversight of the Justice Department.
Representative Robert Garcia has identified Epstein-related investigations as one of the priorities Democrats could pursue under new House Oversight leadership.
For Massie, Khanna and the survivors who have continued to press for disclosure, the immediate objective remains getting the second bill to the House floor.
But the wider question is whether another congressional vote will finally compel the government to provide the records that survivors and lawmakers say remain missing.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines