# Epstein Files Transparency Act

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "Epstein Files Transparency Act," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/epstein-files-transparency-act/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*The law compelling the Justice Department to release the Epstein files by a fixed deadline, passed 419 to 1 in the House and 99 to nothing in the Senate and then, in John Kiriakou's account, simply not complied with.*

- **Sponsors:** [Thomas Massie](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/thomas-massie), Republican of Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, Democrat
- **House vote:** 419 to 1
- **Senate vote:** 99 to nothing
- **Statutory deadline:** 19 December
- **Released:** About three million pages
- **Withheld:** Three to three and a half million pages

The **Epstein Files Transparency Act** was sponsored by [Thomas Massie](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/thomas-massie), Republican of Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat, and required the Justice Department by force of law to release the [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/jeffrey-epstein) files no later than 19 December.[1]

It passed the House 419 to 1 and the Senate 99 to nothing, and the president signed it. [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)'s account of what happened next is that the president then said, in effect, "Tough luck. I'm not going to release anything. What are you going to do about it?" — and that the answer is nothing.[2] About three million pages were released, leaving three to three and a half million withheld, more than seven months past the deadline.[2][3]

## The legislative route was never needed

Kiriakou, who holds a master's degree in legislative affairs, argues the whole congressional exercise was unnecessary. The files are executive branch documents housed at the Department of Justice: "All the president needs to do is say release the documents."[4][5] Congress reached for a discharge petition only because he would not, and Kiriakou reads the sequence of votes as a charade that delays release rather than compelling it — the president can encourage members to vote yes while a Senate leader kills the bill, leaving him able to say he tried.[6][7][8]

He also notes how rare the instrument was: discharge petitions are attempted often and almost never succeed — he cites one on withholding tax in 1986 — and predicts people will write books about this one.[9]

## The cost to its backers

Kiriakou records that the Republicans who supported release were punished: super PACs mostly affiliated with [AIPAC](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/aipac) spent thirty-five million dollars against Massie, another member was forced to resign after her son received death threats and the White House declined to help, a sitting congresswoman came fifth in a governor's race after losing an endorsement, and a fourth was brought into the situation room and pressed to take her name off the discharge petition.[10][11][12]

## "I would just release everything"

Asked in February 2026 about [Donald Trump](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/donald-trump)'s position, Kiriakou declined to argue about guilt and argued about strategy instead: *"if I were Donald Trump and I were confident in my innocence, I would just release everything."*[13]

His objection is to the pace rather than to the policy: *"I just don't understand why it has taken this long, and it's not even done yet… he's shooting himself in the foot if he's truly, truly, truly innocent."*[14]

## See also

- [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/jeffrey-epstein)
- [Thomas Massie](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/thomas-massie)
- [Mike Johnson](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/mike-johnson)

## Sources

1. John Kiriakou - Middle East on the Brink of a Major War After Houthi Move (2026-07-27), at 03:39. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR49AAOlitk&t=219s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-27-national-security-files-john-kiriakou-middle-east-on-the-brink-of-a-m/
2. John Kiriakou - Middle East on the Brink of a Major War After Houthi Move (2026-07-27), at 02:35. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR49AAOlitk&t=155s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-27-national-security-files-john-kiriakou-middle-east-on-the-brink-of-a-m/
3. John Kiriakou - Middle East on the Brink of a Major War After Houthi Move (2026-07-27), at 03:07. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR49AAOlitk&t=187s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-27-national-security-files-john-kiriakou-middle-east-on-the-brink-of-a-m/
4. John Kiriakou Podcast: Nick Bryant on the Unanswered Questions in the Epstein Case (2026-07-13), at 18:48. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD04X4pbFWc&t=1128s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-13-the-jk-report-john-kiriakou-podcast-nick-bryant-on-the/
5. John Kiriakou Podcast: Nick Bryant on the Unanswered Questions in the Epstein Case (2026-07-13), at 19:20. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD04X4pbFWc&t=1160s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-13-the-jk-report-john-kiriakou-podcast-nick-bryant-on-the/
6. John Kiriakou Podcast: Nick Bryant on the Unanswered Questions in the Epstein Case (2026-07-13), at 19:51. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD04X4pbFWc&t=1191s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-13-the-jk-report-john-kiriakou-podcast-nick-bryant-on-the/
7. John Kiriakou Podcast: Nick Bryant on the Unanswered Questions in the Epstein Case (2026-07-13), at 22:30. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD04X4pbFWc&t=1350s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-13-the-jk-report-john-kiriakou-podcast-nick-bryant-on-the/
8. John Kiriakou Podcast: Nick Bryant on the Unanswered Questions in the Epstein Case (2026-07-13), at 23:02. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD04X4pbFWc&t=1382s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-13-the-jk-report-john-kiriakou-podcast-nick-bryant-on-the/
9. John Kiriakou Podcast: Nick Bryant on the Unanswered Questions in the Epstein Case (2026-07-13), at 38:46. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD04X4pbFWc&t=2326s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-13-the-jk-report-john-kiriakou-podcast-nick-bryant-on-the/
10. John Kiriakou - Middle East on the Brink of a Major War After Houthi Move (2026-07-27), at 04:11. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR49AAOlitk&t=251s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-27-national-security-files-john-kiriakou-middle-east-on-the-brink-of-a-m/
11. John Kiriakou - Middle East on the Brink of a Major War After Houthi Move (2026-07-27), at 04:41. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR49AAOlitk&t=281s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-27-national-security-files-john-kiriakou-middle-east-on-the-brink-of-a-m/
12. John Kiriakou - Middle East on the Brink of a Major War After Houthi Move (2026-07-27), at 05:12. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR49AAOlitk&t=312s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-27-national-security-files-john-kiriakou-middle-east-on-the-brink-of-a-m/
13. How Epstein Was Used by Mossad, CIA & MI6 (2026-02-08), at 14:59. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUGHG0Yy6BA&t=899s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-08-how-epstein-was-used-by-mossad-cia-mi6/
14. How Epstein Was Used by Mossad, CIA & MI6 (2026-02-08), at 15:29. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUGHG0Yy6BA&t=929s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-08-how-epstein-was-used-by-mossad-cia-mi6/

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From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/epstein-files-transparency-act/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt