Rep. Massie Reads Epstein Coconspirator Names on House Floor, Proposes Files Bill
The move tests whether legislative pressure can compel disclosure of investigative records that federal agencies have declined to release voluntarily.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) read more than a dozen names on the House floor on Monday that he characterized as coconspirators of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to reporting by The Hill. Massie simultaneously outlined legislation he said is designed to compel the release of federal files connected to the Epstein case.
Massie stated on the House floor: "On the House floor tonight, I read the names of several Epstein coconspirators," according to The Hill. The full list of names read into the congressional record, and the evidentiary basis Massie cited for each designation, were not fully detailed in the available source material. The complete congressional record for that session would contain the verbatim remarks and any supporting citations Massie entered.
The term "coconspirator" carries a specific legal meaning. In federal law, a coconspirator is a party named or identified in a criminal conspiracy charge. No publicly available court filing reviewed for this article designates all individuals Massie named as formal coconspirators in a filed indictment or plea agreement connected to Epstein. The source material does not specify which individuals Massie named or the legal basis he provided for each name.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 in Palm Beach County, Florida, to state charges of solicitation of prostitution involving a minor and was required to register as a sex offender. He was arrested again on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 and died in federal custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York on August 10, 2019. The New York City medical examiner ruled the death a suicide by hanging. Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 on five federal counts, including sex trafficking of a minor, and is currently serving a 20-year sentence, according to federal court records.
Massie has been an active participant in congressional efforts to release Epstein-related documents over the past several years. His name appears in congressional records tied to resolutions and floor statements on the topic dating to at least 2023. The specific legislation he described during Monday's remarks, including its bill number, committee referral status, and co-sponsors if any, was not fully detailed in the available source material. The text of any introduced bill would be publicly searchable through Congress.gov.
Calls for broader Epstein file disclosure have come from members of both parties. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah.) have previously called for the release of records held by the FBI and Department of Justice. The Biden administration released some Epstein-related documents through the National Archives in 2024, though advocates argued those releases were incomplete. The Trump administration subsequently ordered additional declassification reviews, according to prior reporting. What specific records remain withheld, and under what legal authority, is not fully established in the public record reviewed for this article.
The legislative vehicle Massie described would, if enacted, compel federal agencies to produce files that have not been released through executive declassification orders alone. Whether such a bill could compel records that are protected by ongoing law enforcement privileges or grand jury secrecy rules under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) is a legal question that the legislation's text, not yet publicly available in full, would need to address.
Massie's floor action draws attention to a broader debate about congressional authority to compel executive branch document production. The House has previously used both subpoena power and legislation to seek records from agencies including the FBI and Department of Justice. The success of those efforts has varied based on claims of executive privilege and ongoing litigation.
Several facts critical to a complete account of this story remain unknown from the source material reviewed. These include: the full list of names Massie read into the congressional record; the specific bill number and text of the proposed legislation; whether any named individuals have responded publicly or through counsel; and which federal agency holds the records the legislation would target. The congressional record for the relevant House session and the text of any introduced bill on Congress.gov would answer most of these questions.