Donald Trump’s Republican enemies believe the president has ulterior motives for his military actions in Iran.
Rep. Thomas Massie issued a pointed reminder Sunday that war will not distract from his focus on forcing the Justice Department to release all documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Kentucky liberal wrote on
Rep. Thomas Massie vows he will not distract from Jeffrey Epstein. /Screenshot/X /X
Massie is one of several critics of Trump who have accused the president of creating a foreign policy crisis and other controversies at the White House to deflect scrutiny of his historical ties to Epstein, especially as new Justice Department documents related to the late sex trafficker’s crimes are released.
In January, critics also claimed that the government’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro temporarily eased bipartisan pressure over Trump’s relationship with Epstein, who once described himself as Trump’s “closest friend.”
Massey and his Democratic ally, Rep. Ro Khanna, spearheaded the Epstein Documents Transparency Act, which Trump reluctantly signed into law, directing the Justice Department to release all documents related to Epstein, who died in 2019, by December 19, 2025.
The U.S. Department of Justice has released more than 3 million documents related to Epstein, but another 3 million documents are still withheld for various reasons.
Massey and his Democratic ally Ro Kana have emerged as strong opponents of Trump, especially in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. /Alex Huang/Getty Images
Massey also had been a thorn in Trump’s side before the president took military action against Iran.
“Congress must vote for war under our Constitution,” the congressman wrote on X on February 19. He said he and Khanna “will force the House to hold a vote as soon as possible. I will vote for America First, which means voting against more wars in the Middle East.”
Trump waged war in the hastily constructed space at Mar-a-Lago with CIA Director John Ratcliffe (left), Secretary of State Marco Rubio (fourth from right), White House Chief of Staff Suzy Wiles and his golf caddy-turned-aide Dan Scavino (second from right). /whitehouse/x
Massey and Khanna are expected to propose a vote next week aimed at curbing Trump’s military action without congressional approval.
That effort did not stop the president from launching a major attack on Saturday morning, when a direct attack on the Shajareye Tayabeh girls’ school in Minab, Hormozgan province, reportedly killed at least 43 students and injured 63 others, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
On Saturday morning, Massie expressed his dissatisfaction to X again.
Thomas Massie’s X post contains credible AP reporting on the attack. /Screenshot/X /X
“This is an unauthorized act of war by Congress,” Massie wrote in an
In another post, he blasted Trump’s military actions as the antithesis of “America First.”
“I am against this war,” he wrote in a post that was viewed 4.2 million times at the time of publication. “This is not ‘America First.'”
In the early hours of Saturday morning, Trump announced an attack on Iran without a tie and wearing a trucker hat. / US President Trump via The Truth Society / Anadolu via Getty Images
Massie continued: “When Congress reconvenes, I will work with [Rho Khanna] Forcing Congress to vote on war with Iran. The Constitution needs to be voted on and your representatives need to be on record opposing or supporting this war. “
The president has repeatedly called Massie a “loser” and an “idiot” and has endorsed his primary opponent, Edgar Rein, in the race for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Massie’s representatives for comment.
