Trump's GOP nemesis vows to parade Epstein victims in Congress

A press conference in which several victims of Jeffrey Epstein will speak publicly “for the first time” has been scheduled for early September in a bipartisan effort to force President Donald Trump’s hand in releasing files on the disgraced financier.

The presser is organized by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), and is scheduled for Sept. 3 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. It is part of an ongoing bipartisan push to compel the Trump administration to release files on Epstein, who died in 2019 awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges and is alleged to have maintained a ‘client list’ of powerful figures for blackmail purposes.

“Rep. Khanna and I will be hosting a press conference at the Capitol joined by survivors of Epstein and (Epstein associate Ghislaine) Maxwell’s abuse – several of whom will be speaking out for the first time,” Massie wrote in a social media post Monday on X. “The survivors deserve justice and Americans deserve transparency.”

Trump has been unable to shake scrutiny from a sizable share of his own base of support over his handling of the Epstein case, despite repeated attempts to label theories around Epstein as a Democrat-manufactured “hoax.”

The backlash has intensified amid swirling rumors that Trump is weighing a pardon for Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking in connection with Epstein.

Massie has been among the most outspoken Republicans as it relates to Epstein, and is currently planning to file a discharge petition when the House reconvenes on Tuesday to compel the DOJ to release all files on Epstein. He’s voiced concerns, however, that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) may “try to pull a fast one” and rewrite House rules to block his discharge petition.

Trump has responded fiercely to Massie’s efforts to increase transparency around Epstein, calling the Kentucky lawmaker the “worst Republican congressman,” and vowing to support a Republican primary challenger to oust him from office. The pair also went head-to-head as Massie refused to support Trump's 'big, beautiful bill."