Thomas Massie

Thomas Massie has claimed Melania Trump, the first lady, agrees with him that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein "did not act alone."

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on The Tucker Carlson Show, the Kentucky Republican discussed his role in making the Epstein files public while pushing back against GOP criticism of him, with President Donald Trump now having backed a primary challenger against him.

More than three million pages of documents related to Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting further charges, were released by the Justice Department under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Massie co-sponsored with California Democrat Ro Khanna.

Epstein 'Did Not Act Alone'

Speaking to Carlson about the released files, Massie said: "The president's own children, the vice president, the FBI director, and the president himself said they would release the Epstein files, and now I worked harder than anybody else to get it done and got it done."

He added that Trump "ultimately did agree with me and now it seems like the first lady agrees with me that Jeffrey Epstein did not act alone, and the files show that he did not act alone."

It comes after Melania Trump made a speech in April, calling for Congress to bring Epstein's survivors forward for public testimony. In her rare public statement, she rejected claims that she had any involvement with Epstein. She denied ever visiting his private island or flying on his plane, said her name does not appear in court records tied to Epstein’s crimes, and described online allegations as false and defamatory.

It also comes as Massie deals with criticism from within his own party by breaking away from Trump on U.S. policy toward Iran and other issues. Trump backed Ed Gallrein in Massie's district, Kentucky's 4th congressional district, to run against Massie in the primary elections.

Trump has been a vocal proponent of Gallrein, blasting Massie as the "Republican Party’s Worst ‘Congressman,’ EVER" in a Truth Social post in March.

"Thomas Massie, sometimes referred to as Rand Paul Jr. because he only votes ‘NO,’ is A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER as a Congressman, and a Human Being. He is disloyal to the Republican Party, the People of Kentucky and, most importantly, he is disloyal to the United States of America! He is a MISFIT, who should be voted out of Office, ASAP," Trump wrote.

Massie Slams Trump's Alleged Remark to Marjorie Taylor Greene

Elsewhere in the interview, Massie slammed Trump for allegedly blaming Marjorie Taylor Greene for death threats she said she received after Trump turned against her. Greene, a former Trump ally, resigned from Congress in January having split with Trump over issues including the Epstein files.

In a speech at the Ron Paul Institute in Texas on Saturday, the former Georgia Representative said that after she told Trump about the threats to her life he said "it was my fault and that I deserve it [and] if my son gets killed, I deserve it because I was a traitor to him," she said.

Massie told Carlson Trump's alleged remarks were "despicable."

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle did not directly address Greene's allegation but told Newsweek: “There is nothing more ‘America Last’ than quitting on your constituents and the MAGA movement in the middle of your term. President Trump is fighting every single day to Make America Great Again–we don’t have time for quitters.”

How Thomas Massie Polls in Kentucky GOP Primary

An April poll showed Massie with a single-digit lead over Gallrein. The Big Data Poll survey of 433 likely voters from April 3-7 showed Massie with 52 percent support and Gallrein with 48 percent.