Readying for a victory lap, Massie wonders aloud if DOJ Epstein investigations are a 'smokescreen'

Rep. Thomas Massie has garnered the ire of President Donald Trump, in part for successfully launching a rarely-used legislative maneuver to force the Epstein vote. But the president reversed course over the weekend, now saying he wants the House to open Epstein records.

While Massie hasn't speculated on the reasons for the abrupt turnabout, the Kentucky congressman has raised doubts about the motive behind new Justice Department investigations into links between the late financier and notable Democrats.

"If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can't be released. So this might be a big smokescreen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them as a last ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files," he told ABC News.

Later, Massie thanked the president for encouraging his colleagues to vote yes on the Epstein bill on X, in a post attached to a Politico article declaring, "He got tired of me winning.”

The DOJ investigations and Trump's sharp pivot come as a trove of emails released by the House Oversight Committee have reignited interest in the case. While the communications have included references to former President Bill Clinton, among other political and media figures, they have also shed new light on links between Epstein and Trump.

Even still, Massie hasn't expressed any expectation that releasing the files would directly hurt the president — instead suggesting the White House is worried about embarrassing friends and allies connected to his campaign.