Republican behind Epstein files act responds to Trump 'lowlife' taunt [View all]
Source: The Guardian
Sat 27 Dec 2025 04.00 EST
Last modified on Sat 27 Dec 2025 05.02 EST
A Kentucky congressman singled out by Donald Trump on Christmas as a “lowlife” after co-authoring a law requiring the federal government to release all of its Jeffrey Epstein files says the president attacked him for keeping a commitment to “help victims”. Thomas Massie then successfully sought donations for his run for another term in the 2026 midterm elections against an opponent that Trump – his fellow Republican – has already endorsed.
The back-and-forth illustrated a deepening divide between Trump and Massie. Massie earned the president’s disdain by working to pass a bipartisan congressional bill demanding the full release of documents pertaining to Epstein, the former friend of Trump who once pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor and then evidently died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex-trafficking charges.
And on Christmas, Trump posted a rant on his Truth Social platform that dismissed Congress’s interest in Epstein as a “scam” while referring to Massie – the only lawmaker named in the post – as “one lowlife ‘Republican’”. That prompted Massie to reply on X: “Imagine celebrating a blessed Christmas with your family … suddenly phones alert everyone to the most powerful man in the world attacking you … for fulfilling his campaign promise to help victims!”
Massie’s account cited the “one lowlife ‘Republican’” phrase in the post’s text, highlighted it in screenshots of Trump’s tirade – and asked X users to “please support me” while providing a link to his campaign donations site. More than 40 people had donated nearly $3,000 within the first two hours of the fundraising plea, Massie’s account said in separate follow-up posts.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/27/kentucky-republican-thomas-massie-trump-epstein-files
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