Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said over 100 Republicans may support legislation to force the DOJ to release all Jeffrey Epstein files. Massie, one of four GOP members defying Trump, warned that ongoing investigations could be used as a "smokescreen" to block the documents.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie said Sunday that a significant number of Republicans could vote in favor of legislation forcing the Department of Justice to release all Jeffrey Epstein files.
"There could be 100 or more. I'm hoping to get a veto-proof majority on this legislation when it comes up for a vote," Massie told ABC News.
Massie was one of four Republicans who defied President Donald Trump by signing a discharge petition that forced the House vote this week.
"If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can't be released. So this might be a big smokescreen, these investigations... as a last ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files," Massie said.
"The Department of Justice has just become a protection racket for Donald Trump and a witch hunt operation against his political opponents. This is why our democracy is in such peril right now... for the first time in our history, the Department of Justice operates in order to try to punish and lock up anybody that criticizes Donald Trump," Murphy said.
Following the release of thousands of documents by the House Oversight Committee -- including emails appearing to implicate Trump -- the House is expected to vote Tuesday on legislation forcing the release of federal files.
According to the released emails, Epstein claimed that Trump "knew about the girls" in Epstein's network. Trump has repeatedly denied knowledge of Epstein's actions, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the documents as "selectively released emails" intended to "smear" the President.