Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna said Monday they will hold a press conference next month on Capitol Hill with victims of Jeffrey Epstein who have yet to publicly speak out about his abuse.
The press conference is planned for Sept. 3, the day after lawmakers return to Washington from their summer recess.
Mr. Massie, Kentucky Republican, and Mr. Khanna, California Democrat, have teamed up on legislation to force the Justice Department to release its files from sex trafficking investigations against Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein and Maxwell were both charged with sex trafficking minors. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. She has appealed her conviction to the Supreme Court.
Mr. Massie and Mr. Khanna said their press conference will feature “survivors of Epstein and Maxwell’s abuse — several of whom will be speaking out for the first time.”
“The survivors deserve justice and the public deserves transparency,” they wrote in social media posts promoting the event.
The victims’ attorneys, Brad Edwards and Brittany Henderson, are also scheduled to attend the press conference.
Mr. Massie and Mr. Khanna will also use the event to discuss the status of their discharge petition to force a House floor vote on their bill requiring the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.
The discharge petition will ripen for signatures in September. If 218 House members sign it, Mr. Massie and Mr. Khanna can force a vote on their bill against GOP leaders’ wishes. However, GOP leaders can counter by trying to table the measure or refer it to committee.
All 212 House Democrats and “more than six” Republicans are expected to sign the petition, Mr. Khanna told The Washington Times last month.
Other congressional efforts to force the Justice Department to release the Epstein files could yield results before the discharge petition ripens.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has given the department until Aug. 19 to respond to its subpoena for the Epstein files.
Senate Democrats have also requested files using a little-known oversight law called the “rule of five.” They gave the Justice Department a deadline of Friday.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.