Staff Reports
Representative Thomas Massie has again put his shoe on the scale to pry open what many in Washington would rather stay shut: the remaining Jeffrey Epstein files. Massie announced he is collecting signatures for a second discharge petition to force a House vote on H.R. 9694, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II (EFTA II). The move is a direct response to complaints that the Justice Department has redacted or withheld records that victims and state investigators say they need.
What Massie is pushing with EFTA II
EFTA II is not a gentle request. The bill would give state attorneys general, victims, local prosecutors, and members of Congress the explicit right to sue the Attorney General to get unredacted records that the earlier law required. It also strips away the usual common‑law privilege excuses — like the so‑called deliberative‑process shield — that the Justice Department has used to keep pages hidden. In plain terms: if the law says turn it over, EFTA II says you can go to court to force the department to comply.
Why this matters — the New Mexico fight and DOJ stonewalling
The urgent hook here is real and local: New Mexico’s Attorney General Raúl Torrez has publicly said the Justice Department blocked his office from getting the unredacted files it needs to investigate crimes alleged at Epstein’s Zorro Ranch. That state lawsuit and Torrez’s complaints are what sponsors point to when they say the original transparency law is being ignored. Attorney General Todd Blanche and the DOJ now face pressure from victims and state prosecutors who say “protecting” records has become a cover for hiding them.
Political math: the discharge petition and House strategy
A discharge petition is an old procedural lever that forces a stalled bill onto the House floor once 218 members sign. Massie used the same tactic before to compel releases tied to the original Epstein law. Here’s the practical part: if most Democrats sign the petition, only a handful of Republicans need to cross the aisle to reach the threshold. That is the entire strategy — make the signatures public, shame holdouts, and make it politically easier for a few to do the right thing.
What to watch next — court fights, cover stories, or real answers
Expect two things to happen at once. First, the petition drive will test whether House members are willing to risk political heat to demand accountability from the Justice Department. Second, if EFTA II becomes law or the courts get involved, there will be a full test of whether statutory rights to disclosure can override privilege claims and protective orders. Victims and state prosecutors want unredacted records. If Washington’s answer is more delay and excuses, the public will rightly conclude someone is protecting powerful names, not victims. That is the real question Massie is forcing into the light — and Washington should be uncomfortable until it answers.
