What Happened
On February 28, 2025, President Trump launched military strikes against Iran in an operation dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” which he indicated could continue for four to five weeks. The timing of these strikes has drawn criticism from an unlikely source: Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who helped pass legislation requiring the release of Epstein files.
“Bombing a country on the other side of the globe won’t make the Epstein files go away,” Massie stated, directly connecting Trump’s foreign policy actions to the Jeffrey Epstein document releases. Massie, along with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, had spearheaded the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed into law in November 2024.
Why It Matters
The allegations represent a rare instance of a Republican congressman publicly questioning Trump’s motives for military action, suggesting domestic political calculations rather than national security concerns drove the decision. According to a Data for Progress poll, 52% of likely voters believe Trump at least partly launched the Iran strikes to distract from his past relationship with Epstein.
The criticism extends beyond Massie. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused Trump of being willing to “risk world war” by using the Iran attack as a distraction from the Epstein files. An analyst noted that Google searches for “Epstein files” plummeted after the Iran strikes began, suggesting the military action may have achieved its alleged diversionary purpose.
Background
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by Trump in November 2024, required the Department of Justice to release all unclassified records from its investigations into Jeffrey Epstein by December 19, 2024. The DOJ has released over 3 million pages of documents, though approximately 3 million more remain withheld for various legal reasons.
The released documents include flight logs and correspondence placing Trump within Epstein’s social orbit decades ago, reviving scrutiny of their past relationship. On Christmas Eve 2024, the DOJ revealed that more than a million additional documents potentially related to Epstein had been “uncovered,” with releases continuing through January and February 2025.
Massie has previously opposed Trump on foreign policy matters, co-sponsoring a failed War Powers Resolution with Rep. Khanna to limit presidential authority to take military action against Iran without congressional approval. This positions him as a consistent critic of unilateral military action rather than an opportunistic opponent.
What’s Next
Trump has indicated the Iran military operation could continue for several more weeks, while the DOJ continues processing and releasing Epstein-related documents. The administration faces ongoing pressure from both parties to expedite the release of the remaining 3 million withheld pages.
Massie’s criticism has drawn Trump’s ire, with the president calling him a “moron” in recent statements. This intra-party conflict highlights growing Republican unease with Trump’s foreign policy approach, even among legislators who supported the Epstein files release.
The timing questions are likely to persist as long as both the military operation and document releases continue, with critics monitoring whether future foreign policy actions coincide with damaging revelations about Trump’s past associations.