Rep. Thomas Massie has shrugged off Donald Trump’s insulting comments about his marriage and the ensuing social media abuse, vowing to continue his push for the release of Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein. Appearing on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, the libertarian congressman dismissed the president’s verbal assault, saying: “Trump’s being a bully, or trying to be a bully.” He joked that his wife had told him “we should have invited Donald Trump, he’s mad that he didn’t get an invitation” to their wedding.
Massie warned his Republican colleagues that their vote on the discharge petition would have lasting consequences. “Donald Trump can protect you in red districts right now by giving you an endorsement, but in 2030, he’s not gonna be the president and you will have voted to protect pedophiles if you don’t vote to release these files,” he said. He also claimed that the campaign against him is being financed by three billionaires, “all in the Epstein class”, one of whom is named in Epstein’s phone book.
The Kentucky congressman, who remarried recently, is one of four Republicans who publicly defied the administration by signing the discharge petition forcing a vote on a bill requiring the Justice Department to release all files related to its 2019 Epstein investigation. Massie was widowed in June 2024 after his first wife Rhonda died from an illness; he is father to four children.
Trump escalated his attacks on Friday with a Truth Social post insinuating Massie had remarried too quickly. “Did Thomas Massie... get married already??? Boy, that was quick!” the president wrote, adding: “No wonder the Polls have him at less than an 8% chance of winning the Election... his wife will soon find out that she’s stuck with a LOSER!” Conservative activist Laura Loomer went further, suggesting on Twitter that Massie was somehow “involved” in his wife’s death. Trump has never disavowed Loomer.
The row comes as the House Oversight Committee released a batch of 20,000 emails from Epstein’s estate, many mentioning Trump by name. In one message, Epstein claimed the president “knew about the girls”, while in others he called Trump “fucking crazy” and “borderline insane”. All messages were sent after Epstein’s 2008 conviction on child sex charges. The White House and Trump have denied any knowledge of Epstein’s illegal activities.
