When Rep. Thomas Massie leaned into a television camera over the weekend, he turned up the heat on President Donald Trump by casting the White House as little more than a damage-control operation for Jeffrey Epstein — a shot fired by a lawmaker who understood the risk of attacking the commander in chief but let it fly regardless.
Massie accused Trump of breaking promises about transparency and continuing to socialize with billionaires connected to the disgraced financier.
In remarks, Massie boldly called the White House the “Epstein administration” during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” where he discussed last week’s combative House Judiciary Committee hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi over her mishandling of the Epstein files release.
The moment set the stage for a widening rupture inside the Republican Party. In blunt terms, Massie, a libertarian-leaning Kentucky Republican, accused Trump and his inner circle of shielding powerful figures tied to Jeffrey Epstein while punishing anyone who demands transparency.
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His latest attack earned praise from Trump’s critics, fury from MAGA loyalists — and growing concerns, even among supporters, that he may now be putting a target on his own back.
“Donald Trump told us that even though he had dinner with these people in NYC and West Palm Beach, that he would be transparent,” Massie said. “But he’s not. He’s still in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration.”
Massie has become one of the loudest Republican critics of Trump’s handling of the Epstein fallout, noting that while the president has not been directly accused of wrongdoing, his name appears thousands of times in the records, which include at least one reference to inappropriate conduct involving young girls.
Last year, Massie co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, legislation that forced the Trump administration to release millions of documents tied to the Epstein investigation.
The delayed release only intensified scrutiny. The Justice Department disclosed roughly half of the estimated six million documents and failed to properly redact identifying information for Epstein’s survivors, drawing outrage from advocates and lawmakers across the spectrum.
Massie has argued that the partial disclosure was deliberate. A day before his ABC appearance, he wrote on X: “What I said in November still holds true, ‘until men are being walked to the jail, this is still a cover-up.’ Transparency is an essential part of unraveling this global sex trafficking scheme, but it’s not the Department of Transparency, it’s the Department of Justice.”
Online reaction to Massie’s attacks quickly split along partisan lines. Some accused him of opportunism.
“I used to support you but this is getting out of hand. I have no idea what you are doing anymore. You seem to just be making stuff up. It’s despicable and sad to see,” one commenter wrote on X.
Others praised him as a truth-teller. “You are doing God’s work. Please never stop and never change. Also, should you decide to run in 2028, I would crawl out of a hospital bed to vote for you. And this is coming from someone who has never voted before.”
Criticism poured in from Trump defenders as well. “@RepThomasMassie shame on you! Stop with all the political theatrics! Where were you when 300,000 children went missing from the border under Biden!? Where are you in Obama and Biden was in the White House when these girls had no voice? What’s your answer going to be to God? He’s all that matters!”
Still, Massie’s supporters seized on Bondi’s antagonistic testimony. “If Pam Bondi had facts clearing Trump, she’d present them. The fact she doesn’t — and pivots to insults — says everything,” one post read.
Trump has responded by escalating his own fury. In January, he unleashed a 300-word tirade on Truth Social, branding Massie a “Weak and Pathetic RINO” and urging supporters to rally behind a primary challenger. “I am asking all MAGA Warriors to rally behind Captain Ed Gallrein,” Trump wrote, promising to defeat “Third Rate Congressman Thomas Massie.”
Earlier this month, Trump called Massie a “moron” at the National Prayer Breakfast.
Massie fired back at the time, dismissing the endorsement and mocking Gallrein’s electoral record. Despite the pressure, he reported some of his strongest fundraising numbers, particularly after centering his campaign on the Epstein files.
But the rhetoric has steadily grown darker. One commenter reacting to a Daily Beast report warned: “I hope Massie has around the clock security detail, MAGA is angry with him.”
Massie himself has publicly acknowledged fears about his safety. In a recent interview on “The Reason Interview,” he said his insistence on justice for Epstein’s victims has put more than his career at risk.
“It’s true that my political career is on the line, my political life, but my own health and well-being could very be too,” he said. “I’ve upset a lot of billionaires who obviously aren’t of high moral character and have done some really shady stuff.”
That concern prompted an unusual move last week, when Massie posted a statement emphasizing his physical well-being. “I am not suicidal. I eat healthy food. The brakes on my car and truck are in good shape. I practice good trigger discipline and never point a gun at anyone, including myself. There are no deep pools of water on my farm and I’m a pretty good swimmer.”
The tension has spilled into Kentucky politics. At a Lincoln Day Dinner last week, Massie’s microphone was taken away mid-speech as he defended his wife after Trump attacked her online. The episodes have underscored how aggressively the president is working to unseat him — and how isolated Massie has become inside his own party.
For now, Massie shows no sign of backing down, insisting the truth will eventually come out.
“This is bigger than Watergate,” he said. “If Watergate changed your perception of government, this should definitely do the same.”