A Kentucky congressman said some, but not all, of the Epstein documents released by the Justice Department on Dec. 19 “grossly failed” to meet the requirements of a law he co-authored.
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files in a series of tweets on December 19 and 20. He said Attorney General Pam Bondi could face conviction for not releasing all records, echoing the frustration expressed by the law’s co-author, California Democrat Ro Khanna.
“Unfortunately, the documents released today by @AGPamBondi and @DAGToddBlanche are woefully inconsistent with the spirit and letter of the law @realDonaldTrump signed 30 days ago,” Massie said in a video retweeted by Khanna.
Massie also attacked Vice President J.D. Vance by retweeting a tweet from four years ago in which Vance advocated the release of all documents.
According to USA Today, the current release by the Department of Justice clearly violates the law.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Branch told Fox News on Friday morning that he expects hundreds of thousands of documents to be released in the coming weeks.
The law passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump requires the bulk release of “all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials” related to Epstein in the Justice Department’s possession within 30 days, which expires on Dec. 19.
Massy’s public feud with Trump
Massie — who represents Kentucky’s 4th District, which covers much of northern Kentucky — has had an on-and-off feud with Trump for years, a feud that seemed to last forever after Trump took office again in January. Trump has publicly called on Massie to step down and endorsed Republican Ed Gallrein to run against Massie in the Republican primary.
Massey took the lead in releasing the documents publicly. He recused himself from Republican leadership and submitted a petition for dismissal, which was finally signed on November 12.
He also recently condemned Trump’s comments following the death of famed director and actor Rob Reiner.
“No matter how you feel about Rob Reiner, these are inappropriate and disrespectful comments to a man who was just brutally murdered,” Massie said on social media.
“I challenge anyone to defend it,” he added.
Enquirer reporter Jolene Almendarez contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer: Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie rips up release and redaction of Epstein documents