Bipartisan Duo Pushing For Epstein Files Release Disagrees On Ghislaine Maxwell Pardon

Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who are working together to push nan Trump management to merchandise national files related to Jeffrey Epstein, disagreed Sunday complete whether President Donald Trump should pardon Epstein’s longtime subordinate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Massie told NBC News’ “Meet nan Press” during a associated question and reply pinch Khanna that “whatever they request to do to compel [Maxwell’s] testimony, arsenic agelong arsenic it’s truthful, I would beryllium successful favour of.”

Khanna, connected nan different hand, said, “No, I don’t” judge that Maxwell should beryllium pardoned aliases person her condemnation commuted and that he is “concerned” that she met pinch Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche past week.

“Look, I work together pinch Congressman Massie that she should testify, but she’s been indicted doubly connected perjury. This is why we request nan files,” Khanna added.

Maxwell, a longtime subordinate of Epstein’s, was convicted of national activity trafficking charges successful 2021. That aforesaid year, she was accused of making aggregate mendacious statements nether oath. Blanche interviewed Maxwell complete 2 days past week amid increasing calls for nan Trump management to merchandise immoderate unclassified files related to Epstein.

On Friday, nan president told reporters erstwhile asked astir pardoning Maxwell: “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s thing I person not thought about.”

In a abstracted question and reply connected Sunday, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would defer to nan president connected whether Maxwell should beryllium pardoned, telling "Meet nan Press" moderator Kristen Welker, "I won't get successful beforehand of him. That's not my lane."

Johnson later added, "If you’re asking my opinion, I deliberation 20 years was a pittance. I deliberation she should person a life condemnation astatine least. I mean, deliberation of each these unspeakable crimes, and arsenic you noted earlier, astir apt 1,000 victims. I mean, you know, this, this is, it’s, it’s difficult to put into words really evil this was."

Trump has besides weighed successful connected nan Epstein files successful caller weeks, writing successful a station connected Truth Social that he was directing Attorney General Pam Bondi “to nutrient immoderate and each pertinent Grand Jury testimony, taxable to Court approval.”

Bondi and Blanche subsequently filed a motion asking for a judge to unseal records related to Epstein and Maxwell successful a Manhattan national court.

A national judge successful Florida past week besides denied a abstracted Justice Department request to merchandise national expansive assemblage transcripts successful relationship pinch an investigation into Epstein there.

Khanna and Massie — an uncommon bipartisan duo — person teamed up to co-sponsor a measure that would unit nan Trump management to people “all unclassified records” connected Epstein.

“Politics is nan creation of nan doable,” Massie said Sunday. “There’s capable nationalist unit correct now that we tin get 218 votes and unit this to a ballot connected nan floor.”

Nearly a twelve of his blimpish House colleagues person signed on to backmost Massie’s associated measurement pinch Khanna, pinch immoderate Democrats, including Reps. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., signing connected too.

Last week, Johnson, sent House lawmakers home from Washington 1 time early for their summertime recess aft Democrats connected nan powerful Rules Committee planned to unit their Republican colleagues to return votes related to nan Epstein files.

On Sunday, Massie accused Johnson of sending lawmakers location to debar “political pain” for Republicans who could beryllium forced to return a ballot connected whether to merchandise nan Epstein files.

“Why is it achy for Mike Johnson to telephone a ballot connected this?” nan Kentucky congressman said. “The American group merit this, sloppy of what nan governmental ramifications are for nan speaker.”

In an exclusive "Meet nan Press" question and reply later Sunday, Johnson denied sending lawmakers location early, accusing Democrats of “hijacking” nan Rules Committee.

“What we did do this week is extremity nan chaos successful nan Rules Committee, because nan Democrats are trying to usage this successful a shameless mode for governmental purposes. Quite obviously, they hijacked nan Rules Committee and they tried to move it into an Epstein hearing,” Johnson said. “That’s not what nan Rules Committee is about. So that’s why nan level votes ended connected Wednesday alternatively of Thursday.”

Several officials successful nan Department of Justice person said that a merchandise of nan files Khanna and Massie are pushing for is not imaginable without harming Maxwell’s and Epstein’s alleged victims.

Johnson echoed that statement successful his Sunday interview, saying, “House Republicans insist upon nan merchandise of each reliable grounds and accusation related to Epstein successful immoderate way, but we are besides insisting upon nan protection of guiltless victims. And our interest is that nan Massie and Khanna discharge petition is reckless successful nan measurement that it is drafted and presented. It does not adequately see those protections.”

Earlier Sunday, Massie called that statement a “straw man.”

“Ro and I cautiously crafted this authorities truthful that nan victims’ names will beryllium redacted and that nary kid pornography will beryllium released,” Massie said, adding that Justice Department officials are “hiding down that.”

“We’re trying to get justness for nan victims and transparency for America,” Massie added. “And so, we’ve redacted things before. We don’t want to wounded nan victims. We’re doing this for nan victims.”

Massie precocious drew nan ire of President Donald Trump and his friends aft he vocally opposed a monolithic GOP home argumentation package that House Republicans passed past month, raising concerns astir really nan measurement would impact nan nationalist debt.

Earlier this year, 2 cardinal advisers to nan president moreover launched a ace PAC that has already spent complete $1 cardinal connected ads targeting Massie successful his district, according to AdImpact, pinch nan extremity of preventing his re-election to Congress adjacent year.

On Sunday, Khanna moreover defended Massie, praising nan Kentucky Republican for opinionated up to Trump, contempt nan governmental headwinds it has created for him.

“The only personification who suffered governmental symptom successful this full point is Congressman Thomas Massie for telling nan truth,” Khanna told Welker. “He’s sewage nan president’s full squad who sewage nan president re-elected coming down connected him successful his district, and it’s conscionable made him stronger.”

Khanna besides addressed nan governmental implications of this infinitesimal for his ain statement up of nan 2026 midterm elections, wherever Democrats dream to flip nan House and Senate to triumph power of Congress.

“Look, my halfway condemnation is simply a caller economical patriotism to reindustrialize America, a 21st-century Marshall Plan for America — Medicare for all, opposing nan Medicaid cuts,” Khanna told Welker. “But you can’t do thing constructive pinch authorities if you don’t person spot successful government. This is astir spot successful government.”

Khanna is wide seen arsenic a imaginable 2028 statesmanlike campaigner and is already traveling astir nan state and speaking to voters extracurricular of Washington and his location authorities of California.

Massie besides framed immoderate nonaccomplishment to merchandise files related to Epstein arsenic damaging to his ain statement heading into adjacent year’s elections.

“This is going to wounded Republicans successful nan midterms. The voters will beryllium apathetic if we don’t clasp nan rich | and powerful accountable,” he said.

“I deliberation erstwhile we get back, we tin get nan signatures required to unit this to nan floor,” Massie added, saying that Johnson will “have a choice” aft that.

“Is he going to effort and alteration nan rules of nan House of Representatives midstream aliases not? If he does, that becomes nan ballot for nan American people,” nan Kentucky congressman added.