WH warns GOP backing Thomas Massie’s Epstein petition is ‘hostile act’ but Marjorie Taylor Greene objects

WASHINGTON, DC: The White House on Tuesday, September 2, warned that GOP backing Rep Thomas Massie’s petition to release all the files from the Jeffrey Epstein case will be considered a "hostile act." Despite the warning, Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene pushed back.

Massie, the conservative firebrand who has clashed with President Donald Trump and other GOP leaders, filed a discharge petition to force a floor vote compelling the Department of Justice to release all the files from the Jeffrey Epstein case. 

Marjorie Taylor Green defies GOP leaders on Epstein records release

Thomas Massie and his Democratic co-author, Rep Ro Khanna of California, said they will begin collecting signatures for their Epstein resolution starting September 2.

The duo needs a minimum of 218 signatures, half the members of the House, to force a vote. Khanna told NBC News he is confident that all 212 Democrats will sign on, along with at least six Republicans.

Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leaders oppose the push, arguing it is unnecessary because the House Oversight Committee is already investigating the matter and reviewing a tranche of Epstein records.

A White House official commented on the discharge petition, warning that supporting it would be considered "a hostile act." In an email to NBC, the official said, "Helping Thomas Massie and Liberal Democrats with their attention-seeking, while the DOJ is fully supporting a more comprehensive file release effort from the Oversight Committee, would be viewed as a very hostile act to the administration."

Despite the warning, Marjorie Taylor Greene signed on to the Massie-Khanna discharge petition to force a vote on the full release of the Epstein files. In addition to Massie and Greene, two other Republicans, Rep Nancy Mace and Rep Lauren Boebert, had also signed the petition. 

GOP leaders add their own Epstein-related bill to list of legislation

GOP leaders have introduced their own Epstein-related bill to the list of legislation the House will take up this week, in an effort to ease mounting pressure over the Epstein case.

The bill would direct the Oversight Committee to "continue its ongoing investigation into the possible mismanagement of the Federal government’s investigation of Mr Jeffrey Epstein and Ms Ghislaine Maxwell", something the panel is already doing.

Massie criticized the move on X, writing, "@SpeakerJohnson just scheduled this meaningless vote to provide political cover for those members who don’t support our bipartisan legislation to force the release of the Epstein files."

Johnson also took a jab at Massie while speaking to reporters at the Capitol. He said, "I would describe virtually everything Thomas Massie says related to this issue as meaningless."

Meanwhile, the bipartisan discharge petition coincides with a group of Epstein survivors traveling to Capitol Hill for both public and private events. The survivors met with a bipartisan group of Oversight Committee members behind closed doors on September 2.