Trump seeks Massie opponent as Kentucky congressman calls for Epstein files release

Austin Horn, Lexington Herald-Leader on Jul 23, 2025

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President Donald Trump’s anger with Rep. Thomas Massie was not a flash in the pan.

Trump keeps calling for Massie’s head, and still, Massie keeps defying Trump.

The latest example of Massie’s contrarianism within his own party is his insistence that the Trump administration release files related to the case of the late disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“This notion that it’s a hoax, nobody is buying that,” Massie told the Herald-Leader on Tuesday when speaking about his petition to force a vote on the release of the full Epstein files. Trump has repeatedly referred to it as such, arguing that voters should move on.

While Massie leads the charge on the Epstein files, Trump has yet again threatened to back a primary challenge to the Northern Kentucky congressman, whom he called an “embarrassment to Kentucky.”

“He’s lazy, slow moving and totally disingenuous — a real loser! Never has anything positive to add,” Trump wrote. “Looking for someone good to run against this guy, someone I can endorse and vigorously campaign for!”

Most of the speculation around who that “someone” could be has centered on state Sen. Aaron Reed of Shelbyville, a Republican Navy SEAL veteran and gun store owner. Standing well over six feet tall and donning a cowboy hat, he’s already got a brand.

The state of play for him isn’t so clear. Reed hasn’t responded to Herald-Leader inquiries on the matter.

Massie allies insist Reed, who was seen as coming from Massie’s wing of the party just a year ago when he pulled off an upset primary victory, won’t run. Other Kentucky Republicans, however, think he’s still very much in play, especially given the president’s direct mandate.

The thinking goes: How could a former Navy SEAL say no to the commander-in-chief he loves?

A Trump-aligned super PAC already claims to have spent $1.8 million on ad campaigns to bring Massie down. One televised ad claimed that Massie, a foreign policy non-interventionist, “sided with the ayatollah” of Iran when he opposed Trump’s bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities and another highlighted how many times he’s voted with Democrats.

Massie sees the pro-Trump efforts as desperate and doomed to fail. He also made a point to mention that his only GOP competition thus far, Nikki Lee Ethington, dropped out of the race Wednesday.

“I think they’ve had the Yellow Pages and the White Pages out and called just about everybody they can find in my district to run. Because I get people calling me up, telling me that they just were the subject of a recruiting attempt — from state reps to notable people with military experience in the district. We’re over 100 days into their effort to recruit somebody, and they don’t have anybody,” Massie said.

What is Massie doing with his Epstein push?

Amid the outcry from observers on both sides of the aisle, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, cut short the week’s legislative business to avoid having to hold votes on releasing the Epstein files.

Massie, alongside California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, filed a discharge petition to attempt to force a vote on releasing the bulk of all investigative files related to Epstein last week. Johnson’s move to head into a five-week recess earlier than planned cuts off their ability to move the petition.

“They sent us home early,” Massie said. “I don’t know what Mike Johnson was thinking, but some people speculated it was to avoid having to deal with my resolution ripening and collecting signatures.”

The idea, according to Massie, is that constituent pressure to release the full files will dissipate over the recess period as the White House puts out “drips and drabs” of information to appease the right-wing influencer sphere that’s upset.

“I think the pressure is going to build over the August recess, though,” Massie said. “This is something people have been waiting on and are very sorely disappointed at the about-face they’ve seen within the administration.”

Massie and Khanna’s petition would release the files with no redactions aside from those protecting victims and preventing the release of child pornography. There is no consideration of avoiding naming people who were not found to or suspected of committing a crime.

Unlike others, Massie has not suggested that Trump himself is in the files.

Trump’s relationship with Epstein is no secret and has received increased scrutiny in light of his comments.

A Wall Street Journal report, which Trump denies, claimed he wrote Epstein a note featuring a nude woman and wishing him a happy birthday punctuated by the phrase “may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump has since sued the WSJ in federal court for defamation; the paper stands by its reporting.

“I have never, and I won’t, say that I think he’s implicated by these files,” Massie said. “I don’t think that would be a reason that he is reluctant to release that. I suspect he’s got some rich and powerful friends who are in these files, and I suspect that if true nature of Epstein’s connections were known, that it could be embarrassing to some of our allies. I believe that’s probably why he’s withholding this information.”

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