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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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Three House Republicans have joined U.S. Representative Thomas Massie in helping force another vote over files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the sex offender who died in jail in 2019, giving the Kentucky congressman a bipartisan victory just one day after the House blocked his effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Massie announced Wednesday that his discharge petition for the Epstein Files Transparency Act II had reached the required 218 signatures, with Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman joining him and House Democrats in backing the effort. The push comes as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress following their midterm victories and signal a renewed focus on the Epstein investigation. Robert Garcia, top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, also signed the petition and has promised public hearings and further scrutiny after accusing the Justice Department of withholding millions of pages of Epstein-related material.
“This morning we reached the required 218 signatures on my discharge petition for Epstein Files Transparency Act II !” Massie posted on X.
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When reached for comment on Wednesday afternoon, the White House referred Newsweek to a Truth Social post President Donald Trump had made on Tuesday night about Massie, but the post didn’t mention the Epstein files.
“The Democrats’ attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED! Every single Republican, except Thomas Massie, a major LOSER, voted in favor of Pete,” Trump wrote. “Again, Victories in Venezuela and Iran, the Best Recruitment Numbers in the History of the Military (Long waiting lists to get in!), and Spirit like rarely seen before, led to the EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot. The Democrats continue to weaponize and abuse the United States of America. They must be stopped! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
When reached for comment, Massie’s office referred Newsweek to his post on X announcing the 218 signatures.
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A discharge petition allows lawmakers to bypass House leadership and bring legislation toward a floor vote if it receives signatures from a majority of the House, or 218 members. Massie moved for the discharge petition on August 31 and was the first of the required signatures.
The final signatures needed to push the petition across the 218-member threshold came from Democrats, rather than the three Republicans who joined Massie in the effort. U.S. Representative Adam Smith of Washington signed the petition on Tuesday, followed by U.S. Representative John Garamendi of California on Wednesday, bringing the total to 218.
Of the three Republicans that signed in addition to Massie, Fitzpatrick signed on September 16, Norman on September 14 and Mace on September 1.
What Is the Epstein Files Transparency Act II?
Trump signed the original Epstein Files Transparency Act into law in November 2025, requiring the Justice Department to publish nearly all unclassified records related to Epstein. The department says it complied after releasing roughly 3 1/2 million pages, but lawmakers dispute that claim, citing millions of potentially responsive pages that remain unpublished, extensive redactions and records withheld under legal privileges. The proposed Epstein Files Transparency Act II would allow survivors, state officials and members of Congress to sue the attorney general to enforce the original law, but it has not yet passed Congress.
Massie introduced the bill in mid-July alongside U.S. Representatives Ro Khanna and Teresa Leger Fernández.
"Since the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law on November 19, 2025, the Department of Justice has flagrantly and consistently ignored EFTA's disclosure requirements," Massie said at the time. "The Department of Justice continues to unlawfully withhold over 3 million Epstein files that should be released to the public. In addition, the DOJ is unlawfully maintaining heavy redactions on the files it is releasing. State attorneys general and victims should have the right to sue the Attorney General of the United States to compel compliance with a transparency law President Trump signed."
The latest effort echoes the coalition that helped force the original Epstein legislation to the House floor. Three Republicans have again joined Massie in backing the effort, while the first effort was supported by Mace, Representative Lauren Boebert and former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Greene resigned Congress at the end of last year after a public and acrimonious split with Trump over key issues, including the release of the Epstein files. Boebert recently lost her reelection campaign in Colorado. While Trump eventually endorsed her for the position, he previously called her “dumb” and “weak-minded” because Boebert had campaigned alongside Massie.
Massie and Mace are also on their way out of Congress. Massie lost his May primary to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein following a prolonged battle with the president over Epstein and other issues, while Mace gave up her House seat to run for South Carolina governor, where she finished fifth in the Republican primary. Mace has said her push to release the Epstein files was the reason she lost Trump's endorsement.
What Happens Next
The Epstein Files Transparency Act II is now on a path toward a House vote after Massie's discharge petition secured the required 218 signatures. Under House rules, the petition must sit for seven legislative days before a member who signed it can move to bring the measure to the floor.
A specific vote date has not been confirmed, but the process leaves open the possibility that the current Congress could consider the legislation before the new Congress takes office in January. If approved by the House, the measure would still have to clear the Senate and be signed by Trump before becoming law.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabe Whisnant and Edward T. Cummins
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