Republican also introduces Epstein Files Transparency Act II to compel withheld files
On Monday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) used his time on the House floor to publicly call billionaire Leon Black and illusionist David Copperfield co-conspirators of the late accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and to urge the Department of Justice to launch an investigation.
Massie, who lost his primary earlier this year to a challenger backed by President Donald Trump, named several friends and associates of Epstein in his bid to “shame” the Department of Justice into investigating a group of men and one woman he called “perpetrators” of Epstein’s crimes, The Guardian reported.
The remarks came nearly one year after Trump signed the Epstein Transparency Act, which led to the release of millions of so-called “Epstein files.” But Massie said the government is still withholding more than three million additional files.
“The government continues to withhold over three million files,” Massie said on Monday. “That’s why we’ve introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, to bring the fight to the state courts, accountability to the Department of Justice and closure for survivors.”
“We want perpetrators of these crimes to be investigated and prosecuted,” he added. Massie separately called the individuals co-conspirators of Epstein on his Instagram account.
In a post on X on Tuesday morning, Massie said that he, along with Reps. Ro Khanna and Teresa Leger Fernández, had launched a “discharge petition to collect 218 signatures” to force a vote on the new act. Massie is leaving Congress after losing his primary to a Trump-backed challenger.
The pressure on Black centers on a separate standoff over his testimony. Black, a New York private equity investor who paid Epstein tens of millions of dollars in fees, is facing the threat of being held in contempt of Congress because of an ongoing dispute over demands that he appear before the House oversight committee later this week, on 3 September. Black has not yet confirmed his appearance, according to a person familiar with the matter. Black’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement before the oversight committee in June, Black described his work for Epstein as tax and estate-planning services. “I did not know about this nefarious activity until Epstein was charged with trafficking in July 2019,” Black wrote. But he acknowledged that he had known about Epstein pleading guilty in 2008 to state charges relating to prostitution involving a minor.
Susan Estrich, Black’s lawyer, has rejected Oversight Committee Chair James Comer’s assertions that Black has not been cooperative and has said that Black was being targeted in a “political witch hunt.” Comer, a Republican, has previously said he would hold Black in contempt if he did not fully cooperate with the panel’s ongoing Epstein investigation, including by handing over subpoenaed documents.
Epstein’s former lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, has also not yet confirmed his appearance before the oversight committee, according to a person familiar with the matter. Dershowitz’s appearance was scheduled for Wednesday. He told The Guardian on Tuesday that he was “working on a date.”
Copperfield’s ties to Epstein are documented in FBI files released by the Justice Department earlier this year. FBI agents investigating the illusionist in 2007 said that “a clear connection” existed between him and Epstein, according to those documents. Copperfield’s lawyers have previously denied that he was friends with Epstein. His lawyers did not respond to a request for comment on Massie’s comments.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.