U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) holds stapled pieces of paper with a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document, parts of which are redacted, while questioning U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Justice Department, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
Two Republicans in the House of Representatives are planning acts of defiance during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night, a new report revealed.
Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) plan to join Democrats in silently protesting the president and his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, Axios reported. Massie plans to sit with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and the Democratic side of the aisle in a rare show of bipartisanship. The two lawmakers led the charge to pass a bill requiring the Trump administration to release all Epstein files in its possession.
Mace plans to wear a butterfly pin that Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre's brother gave to her, according to Axios. Giuffre took her own life last year.
The protests will occur at a politically sensitive time for the Trump administration. They have come under fire recently for their mismanagement of the Epstein files, including releasing the names and other personally identifiable information about Epstein's victims while shielding the names of people accused of heinous crimes.
Several Democrats also plan to boycott Trump's speech on Tuesday. Those attending the speech have been asked to silently protest in the House chambers, according to reports.