Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., took to the House floor Monday to name more than a dozen people he described as Jeffrey Epstein “coconspirators,” while renewing his effort to force the release of additional government files connected to the convicted sex offender.
“On the House floor tonight, I read the names of several Epstein coconspirators who should be investigated and prosecuted,” Massie said in a Monday night post on X.
Massie also announced that he had begun gathering signatures for a discharge petition aimed at bringing another Epstein-related transparency bill to a vote.
“I also began collecting 218 signatures for the discharge petition to force a vote on Epstein Files Transparency Act II,” he said.
Massie has been one of the most prominent lawmakers pressing for the release of government records related to Epstein. He previously worked with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which resulted in the release of some Epstein-related records.
During his remarks Monday, Massie said it had been a year since the president signed that legislation and argued that millions of records remain withheld.
“And the government continues to withhold over three million files. 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,” Massie said.
Massie then read a list of names on the House floor. Among those he named were Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, and billionaire retail executive Les Wexner.
Being named by Massie does not itself establish criminal wrongdoing, and his characterization of the people he listed as “coconspirators” represents his allegation.
Virginia Giuffre accused Mountbatten-Windsor of sexually abusing her and alleged that Epstein trafficked her before the encounters. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied the allegations and denied that he ever met Giuffre.
Wexner, who employed Epstein as a financial manager during the 1990s and early 2000s, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee during a February deposition that he had no firsthand knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity.
The new legislation is designed to go beyond the earlier federal transparency effort.
In a separate post Monday, Massie said the Epstein Files Transparency Act II “gives state [attorneys general] access to Epstein files required to prosecute perpetrators under state law, and makes it easier for survivors to sue to get their files.”
Massie’s next challenge will be gathering enough support to force the legislation onto the House floor. A discharge petition requires 218 signatures, meaning the effort would need support from lawmakers beyond Massie’s own allies if House leadership does not voluntarily bring the measure up for a vote.
