• Massie tells Breaking Points congressional subpoena is “wrong way” to find truth
• Only 12,000 of 2 million Epstein files released despite December deadline
• Clintons refused to testify, calling House probe “legally invalid” process

WASHINGTON (TDR) — Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) sharply criticized the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as political “theater” in a Wednesday interview, urging President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to bypass congressional hearings and simply release Department of Justice files on convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaking with Breaking Points co-hosts Ryan Grim and Emily Jashinsky about the Clintons’ refusal to appear for their scheduled Tuesday testimony, Massie argued the subpoena approach fundamentally misses the point.

“Again, it’s all theater. Just release the doggone files,” Massie concluded after explaining his objections to the congressional process.

“Wrong Way To Get At The Truth”

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Massie, who has led a bipartisan push to force transparency in the Epstein case, told Breaking Points that compelling testimony through subpoenas represents “the wrong way to get at the truth for these victims.”

“What they should do is they should just come to Congress and do what they all do, which is plead the Fifth,” Massie said, noting that while there “should be ramifications” including potential arrest if someone defies a subpoena, the approach won’t yield meaningful information.

The Kentucky Republican’s comments come as he and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California work through an alternative route — petitioning a federal judge to appoint a neutral expert to oversee the release of Justice Department files required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

DOJ Releases Only Fraction Of Files

In a January 8 letter delivered to U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, Massie and Khanna expressed “urgent and grave concerns” that the Justice Department has failed to comply with legislation requiring full file release by December 19.

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The bipartisan lawmakers revealed that DOJ released only 12,000 documents out of more than 2 million documents under review — what they called a “flagrant violation” of the law’s requirements.

“Put simply, the DOJ cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures under the Act,” the congressmen wrote, requesting appointment of an independent monitor to ensure all documents are made public.

Massie and Khanna said they believe “criminal violations have taken place” in the release process and that the limited disclosure has caused “serious trauma to survivors.”

Judge Engelmayer directed the Justice Department and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted associate, to respond to the allegations by Friday.

Clintons Refuse Congressional Testimony

The Clintons on Tuesday released a public letter refusing to comply with the subpoena, calling the probe “legally invalid” and accusing Chairman James Comer (R-KY) of pursuing a process “literally designed to result in our imprisonment.”

“We will forcefully defend ourselves,” wrote the Clintons, who noted that Comer dismissed seven of eight other subpoenaed individuals without requiring testimony.

Bill Clinton did not appear for his scheduled Tuesday deposition. Hillary Clinton was scheduled to testify Wednesday.

Contempt Proceedings Threatened

Comer told reporters Tuesday he will begin contempt of Congress proceedings next week, potentially starting a complicated process that Congress has rarely invoked and could result in Justice Department prosecution.

“Bill Clinton did not show up, and I think it’s important to note that this subpoena was voted on in a bipartisan manner by this Committee,” Comer said. “This wasn’t something that I just issued as chairman of the Committee. This was voted on by an entire subcommittee in a unanimous vote.”

The House Oversight Committee unanimously issued subpoenas to the Clintons in August and has been privately negotiating with their legal counsel for months.

Comer noted that Epstein visited the White House 17 times when Bill Clinton was president, and that Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane approximately 27 times after leaving office.

“No one’s accusing the Clintons of any wrongdoing. We just have questions,” Comer told reporters.

Democrats Split On Approach

Representative Ro Khanna, Massie’s Democratic partner on the file transparency effort, told Axios he opposes holding the Clintons in contempt.

“I don’t think we should hold President Clinton and Hillary Clinton in contempt. We should work with them and figure out what they can tell us, but it needs to be done broad base. The person we need to be holding in contempt is Pam Bondi,” Khanna said.

Other Democrats emphasized accountability regardless of party affiliation while expressing concerns about selective enforcement.

Trump Exempted From Testimony

Comer indicated the Oversight Committee would not attempt to compel testimony from Trump about Epstein, saying it cannot force a sitting president to testify.

Trump also had a well-documented friendship with Epstein but has said he cut off the relationship before Epstein was accused of sexual abuse.

The distinction highlights Massie’s central argument — that rather than conducting selective congressional depositions, the administration should release all Justice Department files to provide complete transparency for Epstein’s victims and the public.

Will Trump and Bondi heed Massie’s call to release the remaining 2 million Epstein files, or will the congressional theater continue?

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