Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., says he has no plans to disappear from politics after losing the Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump. Instead, Massie is doubling down on one of the issues that has defined his final months in Congress: pushing for the release of more records tied to Jeffrey Epstein and the wealthy, well-connected figures linked to him.
Massie, a libertarian-minded conservative known for regularly breaking with House Republican leadership and Trump, said over the weekend that he intends to continue naming individuals he believes deserve closer scrutiny in connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking network.
“Yes,” Massie told NBC’s “Meet the Press” when asked whether more names would be released in the coming weeks.
Earlier this year, Massie sharply criticized the Department of Justice for what he described as a lack of urgency in pursuing powerful people connected to Epstein. During remarks on the House floor in February, he specifically pointed to billionaire businessman Les Wexner, private equity executive Leon Black, and former Barclays CEO Jes Staley as individuals the DOJ should investigate more aggressively.
Massie also accused acting Attorney General Todd Blanche of withholding critical evidence and failing to fully comply with disclosure requirements under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The legislation, which Massie helped push through Congress, requires the DOJ to release unclassified investigative materials and records tied to Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
“Todd Blanche is violating the law,” Massie said during the interview. “There are still millions of files they haven’t released.”
According to Massie, attorneys representing Epstein’s victims have told him that FBI interview summaries, known as 302 forms, remain undisclosed and that many released documents contain heavy redactions. He argued that the public still has not seen the full scope of the evidence.
The DOJ announced on Jan. 30 that it had released more than 3 million additional pages of records, along with thousands of videos and images, bringing the total number of released pages to nearly 3.5 million. Massie, however, claims internal estimates suggest the government possesses more than 6 million pages related to the investigation.
Even after his primary defeat, Massie indicated he plans to stay active politically. On Monday, he announced that he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission for the 2028 election cycle.
“I filed with FEC for the 2028 House race,” Massie wrote on X. “This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current officeholder and as a potential candidate for federal office.”
Massie said he has not decided whether he will seek another House term or pursue a different office. Supporters at his concession speech encouraged him to consider a presidential bid in 2028, something he did not entirely dismiss during his television appearance.
At the same time, Massie suggested he is weighing whether he wants to continue life in politics after 14 years in Congress.
“I’ve spent the last five days on my farm with my grandkids, and my cattle, and my peach trees, and it’s a pretty nice life,” he said. “Every hour that passes, I get decompressed a little bit more.”
Still, he made clear that he intends to remain involved in public debates and investigations surrounding Washington power structures and the Epstein files, whether from elected office or from outside government altogether.
“I’ve been exposing what’s going on in Washington, D.C., for years,” Massie said. “And I’ll keep doing it.”
