U.S. Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) celebrated the success of his discharge petition to get the House to vote on the complete release of the Epstein Files on Friday. Newly elected Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), whose swearing-in was delayed for weeks during the government shutdown when House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wouldn’t swear her in, provided the necessary 218th signature on the petition.
Note: Only three other Republicans signed the petition: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and Nancy Mace (R-SC).
On Saturday, Massie wrote on social media: “After months of fighting and disparaging my Epstein legislation, now that my discharge petition has succeeded, @SpeakerJohnson says he tried to pass the law by unanimous consent. If that’s so, he should have no problem voting YEA next week. Listen to his own words.” Massie included the video below.
After months of fighting and disparaging my Epstein legislation, now that my discharge petition has succeeded, @SpeakerJohnson says he tried to pass the law by unanimous consent.
If that’s so, he should have no problem voting YEA next week. Listen to his own words: pic.twitter.com/4e9DIbrFcq
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) November 14, 2025
Progressive influencer Richard Angwin replied: “Johnson’s months of stonewalling the Epstein bill only to cry foul when his sneaky unanimous consent ploy flops? Classic swamp leadership, discharge petitions expose the real blockers.”
Note: Rep. Tim Burchett‘s (R-TN) request for a unanimous consent motion to immediately vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act failed. (Burchett did not sign the discharge petition.) Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) explained: “The chair is constrained not to entertain the request unless cleared by the bipartisan floor and committee leaderships.”
Derek Cressman, a California-based political reform advocate and former California Secretary of State candidate, replied: “Mike Johnson will try anything to avoid a roll call vote where every member of Congress has to go on the record about Epstein.”
Note: President Trump, who is mentioned several times in the Epstein Files, said on Wednesday on social media: “The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects.” He added, “Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap.”