An online poll conducted by Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky found that the overwhelming majority of 76,500 respondents did not agree with President Donald Trump that the Epstein case was a hoax.
Newsweek contacted Massie’s office for comment by email outside normal business hours on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Trump continues to face backlash over his administration’s handling of the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with many believing the files will expose rich and powerful individuals who were involved in or beneficiaries of Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.
Earlier this week, the House Oversight Committee released more than 30,000 pages of documents related to the case, most of which had already been made public and none of which seemed to quell the demand for more answers and transparency related to the files.
What To Know
On Friday, Massie initiated a poll on X to gauge public sentiment about the Epstein case, framing it with Trump’s repeated “hoax” description.
He asked X users: “Is it a hoax that Jeffrey Epstein was involved in underage sex trafficking, and there is unreleased evidence that would likely expose rich and politically connected perpetrators to indictments or convictions?”
When the poll closed on Saturday morning, 76,714 users had voted. While 6.3 percent agreed that the “Epstein case is a hoax,” 93.7 percent said: “No. Release Epstein files.”
Massie has emerged as a prominent voice among congressional Republicans calling for the release of the Epstein files, bringing him in direct conflict with Trump in recent weeks.
While the Kentucky Republican has pushed for the government to release all the files, House Speaker Mike Johnson has urged him to drop the issue, saying this week that the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena power would prove enough to uncover any relevant information.
Still, Massie has persisted, gaining increasing support from Democrats while Republicans fade away following Johnson’s insistence.
POLL, is it a hoax that Jeffrey Epstein was involved in underage sex trafficking, and there is unreleased evidence that would likely expose rich and politically connected perpetrators to indictments or convictions?
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) September 5, 2025
In July, the congressman referred his motion related to the case, co-sponsored by Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California, to the House. Since it has made no progress, he pushed for a discharge petition, which opened for signatures on September 2, rapidly accumulating 215 of the 218 signatures needed to advance to the floor.
On Thursday, Democratic Representative Daniel Goldman of New York became the latest lawmaker to sign the petition. Representatives Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia are so far the only Republicans other than Massie to sign.
On Friday, Trump again called for an end to any effort to force the release of the files, saying it was “time to end the Democrat Epstein Hoax.”
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump likened the case to Democratic efforts to connect him with Russia, saying the Democrats were doing so “to deflect and distract from the great success of a Republican President.” He added that the Justice Department had “done its job” and “given everything requested of them.”
What Is a Discharge Petition?
The discharge petition, in the language of the House of Representatives, is a mechanism that “provides a means for Members to bring to the floor for consideration a public bill or resolution that has been referred to committee but not reported.”
The mechanism is the only means by which members of the House can secure consideration without help from a committee or majority leadership, with Congress‘ website saying the mechanism was “designed to be difficult to accomplish.”
How Does the Discharge Petition Work?
A member can pursue discharge only after a measure has been referred to a committee for at least 30 legislative days. In other words, only when the House is in session. The clerk of the House meticulously tracks the signatories on a discharge petition, with weekly updates on members who have added or removed their names.
The petition needs 218 signatures to pass. Once it reaches that threshold, the list of names is frozen and printed, and the motion is entered in the House Journal, after which seven more legislative days must pass before a member who signed the petition may notify the house in a floor statement of intent to offer the motion on the floor.
The house speaker then has two days to schedule the motion, although that may not happen within the last six days of a congressional session.
What People Are Saying
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Newsweek in an emailed statement: “As the President correctly pointed out, the Democrats knew about Epstein’s victims for years and did NOTHING to help them. President Trump and the Republican Party has been calling for transparency for years—and now delivering on it with thousands of pages of documents. The real hoax is that the Democrats are now using these victims to deflect from their party’s spectacular downfall. Epstein’s victims deserve better than to be used by the Democrats for a political agenda. As usual, President Trump was right about everything!”
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday: “The now dying (after the DOJ gave thousands of pages of documents in full compliance with a very comprehensive and exacting Subpoena from Congress!) Epstein case was only brought back to life by the Radical Left Democrats because they are doing so poorly, with the lowest poll numbers in the history of the Party (16 percent), while the Republicans are doing so well, among the highest approval numbers the Party has ever had!”
Epstein accuser Marina Lacerda said during a news conference on Capitol Hill: “This is not a hoax. It’s not going away.”
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