Thomas Massie is done waiting. On July 15, he filed a discharge petition to force a floor vote on full release of the Epstein files. The resolution cuts around House leadership. If 218 members sign, the vote becomes automatic. Right now, only 16 names are on the list. Just 16.
Polling from July shows 79% of Americans support unsealing the files. That includes 85% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 75% of Republicans. The numbers cut across party lines. This is not partisan. It is institutional. The files are still sealed. The DOJ memo released earlier in July says there’s no client list, no blackmail network, and no foul play. But that contradicts what Attorney General Pam Bondi said back in February, when she confirmed the list existed and was under DOJ review. That list was later reclassified as “general case files.”
Massie’s bill gives Congress seven legislative days to object. Then the petition opens for signatures. If passed, the Attorney General has 30 days to release every document tied to Epstein. That includes emails, calendars, visitor logs, surveillance tapes, flight manifests, grand jury transcripts. The bill blocks redactions for reputational harm or political sensitivity. No edits for embarrassment.
Trump went nuclear. He called the entire Epstein story a “hoax” and accused his own supporters of being “duped.” On Truth Social, he said he does not want their support. He also called Massie a “pathetic loser” and said he should be primaried. That came straight from the post.
The White House press secretary said the DOJ and FBI are in charge. She refused to comment on Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, or the status of any ongoing internal review. She said the president supports transparency in principle but won’t interfere. That is the current line.
Given that Thomas Massie is pushing for a binding resolution to disclose the Epstein files this makes Trump look really really bad. pic.twitter.com/qpYTCTYLqW
— Clint Russell (@LibertyLockPod) July 22, 2025
Speaker Mike Johnson said the House would not move on the bill before the August recess. He claimed there was “no daylight” between the Hill and the White House. But behind the scenes, the Rules Committee started drafting a nonbinding resolution. It has no teeth. It is meant for headlines, not enforcement.
Ro Khanna backed Massie’s bill. Marjorie Taylor Greene signed it. So did Eric Burlison and Eli Crane. But most Republicans stayed silent. Democrats are pushing. The media is not. No cable time. No network specials. Just isolated mentions online.
The DOJ memo claims only a small portion of the sealed documents would have been revealed if Epstein had stood trial. That is the stated reason for keeping them hidden. But the same memo confirms over 1,000 victims. Civil suits only name around 300. That gap is still unexplained.
The files remain sealed. The list is officially denied. The vote is frozen. But the data is out. 79% want the documents unsealed. Only 16 members signed on. That is the ratio.
Sources
https://www.aol.com/news/thomas-massie-says-force-vote-000303930.html
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/17/jeffrey-epstein-house-discharge-vote-00459758
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5403058-epstein-files-massie-khanna/
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/18/trump-jeffrey-epstein-files-massie-khanna-bill
