Massie has been leading the charge to compel a U.S. House vote to release Epstein-related evidence using a rarely successful maneuver known as a discharge petition. If the petition receives enough signatures, it would be taken up after the chamber's summer recess.
The Kentucky lawmaker told NBC's Meet the Press Sunday he doesn't see the controversy subsiding over the break and questioned Speaker Mike Johnson's decision to send the chamber home early.
"The question is: Why isn't Mike Johnson having this vote? Why did he send us home early? And he talks about political pain for Republicans as if I, by invoking transparency, am inflicting pain. That should be very telling. What is painful about having this vote?" Massie asked, adding that a lack of action could haunt the GOP next year. "We'll lose the majority."
Regarding discussions of deals with former Epstein associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, as the House seeks a new deposition, Massie said she does not deserve a pardon — something President Trump did not rule out over the weekend.
Johnson told the same program the House is working toward transparency in the case, but the prospect of a Maxwell pardon or commutation would give him "great pause."