(José Niño, Headline USA) Rep.Thomas Massie, R-Ky., alleged the Trump administration orchestrated what he called a “360-pressure campaign” that included offering his staffers prestigious government positions and lucrative private sector jobs to undermine his push for releasing Jeffrey Epstein documents, The Daily Beast reported.
The apparent goal was to strip Massie of his working team so he could not effectively advance the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would have forced the Department of Justice to release all documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
Massie said several key members of his team were suddenly offered administration posts or lucrative private sector jobs, something he described as unprecedented in his experience.
One staffer was reportedly offered double his salary just weeks before the House was set to vote on the Epstein file release. According to a report by The Atlantic, Massie recalled asking the aide “Did it ever occur to you that they might be offering you this job to basically make me less effective?” The staffer replied “That’s what my mom said.” He turned down the offer.
The pressure allegedly extended beyond Massie’s office. The White House reportedly made similar overtures to Republican women who joined Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif,, in the Epstein effort, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Nancy Mace, (R-S.C.) and Lauren Boebert, (R-Colo.), according to the report.
Boebert was reportedly summoned to the Situation Room for a meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, while Greene had a public falling out with Trump that ultimately led to her resignation from Congress.
This staff poaching effort was just one element of a broader campaign against Massie. Over the past year, Trump has repeatedly called Massie a “loser,” “moron,” “simple-minded grandstander,” and “not MAGA” according to CNN and the New York Times.
The president launched a dedicated super PAC called MAGA Kentucky specifically to oust Massie in his 2026 primary, led by senior Trump strategists Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio, as Axios reported. Trump backed primary challenger Ed Gallrein against Massie in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.
Massie has remained defiant, telling The Atlantic “If the country’s savable, I’ll win my reelection. And if it’s not, I don’t need to be there.”
He and Khanna continue pushing for full release of the roughly 3 million still withheld Epstein documents according to CNN. The two lawmakers sat together during Trump’s State of the Union address per Politico.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
