Rep. Thomas Massie files second discharge petition to force release of remaining Epstein files

Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, launched a second discharge petition on Monday to force the Justice Department to publish the unreleased portions of its Jeffrey Epstein files. The first petition he filed last year resulted in the government releasing all documents it had previously made public about Epstein's sex-trafficking offenses. A discharge petition needs the backing of 218 House members to move a bill or resolution straight to the floor, sidestepping any committee blockage.

This new effort would allow state attorneys general, Epstein's victims and congressional members to sue the department over its continued redactions. Massie criticized the department's top law-enforcement official for not enforcing the law once it was enacted and said the petition prevents the agency from invoking deliberative-process or other common-law privileges to keep the files hidden. If all Democrats sign the petition, Massie would only need three additional Republican votes to bring it to a vote.