Still reeling from his bruising primary defeat last week, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) joined NBC News’ Kristen Welker for an interview on Sunday’s “Meet the Press.” Despite losing his seat in Congress, Massie refused to rule out a 2028 bid for the White House, vowed to read out the redacted names in the Epstein files on the House floor before he leaves office, and accused acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel of “effectively perjuring themselves.”
Refusing to acknowledge that his opposition to President Donald Trump’s top agenda priorities had fueled the primary challenge against him, he claimed his “biggest crime” was bipartisanship.
[Note: Click here to watch the full interview and here to read the full transcript.]
Noting that the Speech and Debate Clause of the Constitution protects members of Congress from prosecution for whatever they say on the House floor and that he has “named names in the Epstein files in the past,” Welker asked, “Can we expect you to name more names in the coming weeks and months?”
“Yes,” Massie replied, claiming that “Blanche is violating the law” and that there are “still millions of files they haven’t released.” [Emphasis added.]
We know from talking to the victims’ lawyers that their own 302 forms haven’t been released. We know the files have been over-redacted. I have released at least three names of billionaires who are implicated in this. I don’t think it’s possible to get to convictions with Todd Blanche at the top and with the FBI director Kash Patel at the top, because they’ve effectively both perjured themselves by saying that there’s nobody else in the files.Even Melania doesn’t believe that. The first lady knows that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t act alone.And here’s the great thing, Kristen. Whether I’m in Congress or not, the Epstein Files Transparency Act is a law, and it goes on for years. So if we can’t get this attorney general and this FBI director to do the right thing, the next ones who take those seats are obligated by law to release the files that these individuals are not releasing now.
Despite his bluster, you may recall that in February, after reviewing unredacted files at the Justice Department, Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) teamed up to expose the names of six “powerful and wealthy men” whose identities had been redacted in the files. They turned out to be innocent men who had merely appeared in an FBI photo lineup.
But, carry on, congressman.
One widely followed account on X called his bluff. The user emphasized that if Massie truly believes the identities of powerful men are being shielded, why hasn’t he revealed them yet? Why is he protecting them?
He concluded, “Either he’s lying and doesn’t have the names, or he’s lying about reading their names. Either way, he’s a liar.”
Welker pointed out that during his Tuesday night concession speech, supporters were chanting, “president, president.” She asked, “Are you considering a run for president in 2028?”
Massie replied:
I will not rule out anything, and right now I’m not going to rule in anything. Look, I’ve spent the last five days on my farm with my grandkids, and my cattle and my peach trees, and it’s a pretty nice life. I don’t know if I want to screw that up again. I’ve been in Congress 14 years, fighting. Every hour that passes, I get decompressed a little bit more. It’s like coming up from the bottom of the ocean. And I’ll take some time and decide what’s next. But I think I will stay engaged in some way or shape. Maybe it’s from the outside. I’ve been exposing what’s going on in Washington, D.C. for years and I’ll keep doing it.
In response, Welker said, “Congressman, I hear you not ruling a potential run for president out. Would you run as a Republican?”
And once again, he teased that he was not ruling out the possibility.
Lo and behold, on Monday morning, Massie announced on X that he had just filed with the Federal Election Commission for participation in the 2028 House race.
He wrote, “This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office.”
Remaining deliberately vague about his plans, he added, “I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run.”
Because we’re all waiting with bated breath for his decision. Not.
Leave it to Massie to play the spoiler in the 2028 presidential race just as Ross Perot did in 1992. Running as an independent, Perot captured nearly 19% of the popular vote and is widely believed to have helped elect Bill Clinton.
However, if Massie does ultimately decide to jump into the race, he may not be the only disgruntled Republican to do so.
Rumors of a possible Tucker Carlson-Joe Kent ticket have also been circulating in Washington. Political analyst Rich Baris, who posts on X under the handle @Peoples_Pundit, weighed in on the speculation Sunday night, writing:
So, @Cernovich wasn’t entirely wrong on his assessment re: a @TuckerCarlson/@joekent16jan19 ticket.Would it win?No, but neither would the GOP. That’s the larger point. It would be set them back to the Ross Perot Era.After ≈ 1500 LV interviews, it’s for real.Stay tuned.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn.
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