House Speaker Mike Johnson Criticizes Rep. Thomas Massie Over Epstein Transparency Debate

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., intensified his criticism of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., on Tuesday amid the ongoing debate over transparency in the Jeffrey Epstein case on Capitol Hill.

Johnson described Massie’s comments on the issue as “meaningless,” delivering his strongest remarks yet against the Kentucky Republican.

The confrontation occurred shortly before Massie introduced a measure aimed at bypassing Johnson and forcing a vote on legislation that would compel the release of a wide range of Department of Justice (DOJ) records related to Epstein. Johnson, on the other hand, is supporting a separate resolution authorizing the House Oversight Committee’s inquiry into the case.

Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., are leading a discharge petition, a rare procedural maneuver that allows lawmakers to bypass leadership if a majority of House members sign on.

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Massie expressed confidence that there would be enough signatures on the petition by the end of the week.

“I think there’s a real good chance of that,” he said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition had garnered two signatures: Massie and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

Responding to Johnson’s remarks, Massie criticized the House leaders’ resolution as a “placebo resolution.”

“He copied three pages out of my resolution. I mean, we wrote this from scratch. So if he thinks it’s meaningless, why is he copying it and taking the teeth out of it?” Massie questioned. “He is afraid of President Donald Trump. Mike Johnson’s speakership just hangs on that thread.”

The DOJ has initiated the release of thousands of files to the Oversight Committee under a bipartisan subpoena, with some redactions expected.

Johnson defended his approach, emphasizing the balance between transparency and the privacy concerns of Epstein’s victims.

He stated, “I would not put much stock into what Thomas Massie says.”

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“The House Republicans have been very consistent about maximum disclosure and maximum transparency with the Epstein files, but we had to do it in a way that would protect the innocent victims of these horrific crimes,” Johnson affirmed. “We have achieved that. Now we have a resolution that will accomplish that desired end. And what people want to do with this for political purpose is, to me, this is really just shameful.”

Massie and Khanna plan to host a press conference on Wednesday with several of Epstein’s victims to advocate for their resolution. These victims also met with Johnson and members of the Oversight Committee on Tuesday.

The clash highlights the escalating divisions within the GOP regarding the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein case, which was reignited following an internal memo that effectively closed the matter earlier this year.