Thomas Massie (l.) and Ro Khanna on Monday after viewing the unredacted Epstein files.Image: www.imago-images.de
Politically, Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna could hardly be more different. But in the Epstein case they are on a common mission.
Feb 12, 2026, 3:44 p.mFeb 12, 2026, 3:44 p.m
The Epstein files continue to keep the USA on its toes. On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi had to appear before a House of Representatives committee. The hearing stalled to an exchange of blowsin which Bondi was accused of blacking out files to protect alleged perpetrators and possibly President Donald Trump and those around him.
One of the toughest questioners was one of the minister’s party colleagues, Republican Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky. For months he has been fighting for a thorough investigation into the machinations of the pedophile sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This week Massie demanded the resignation of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnickthe deep in the Epstein swamp.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Massie attacked Attorney General Pam Bondi over the redactions.Image: keystone
His main running mate is Democrat Ro Khanna from California. He is not a member of the committee in question, but he did so in a speech in the House of Representatives on Tuesday six blacked out names made public. Most say little to nothing to the general public, but Khanna and Massie are on a mission.
Tweet with guns
Together they viewed unredacted files on Monday. They expressed outrage in front of the media: “We want the names of those men to whom Jeffrey Epstein fed women to be published,” said Massie. He and Ro Khanna form an odd couple because politically they fit together like fire and water.
55-year-old Thomas Massie belongs to the libertarian wing of the Republicans. He is committed to a “lean” state that should not interfere in people’s lives. In December 2021, he posted a photo on Twitter of his family with semi-automatic rifles in front of a Christmas tree, just four days after a school massacre in Detroit.
Bernie Sanders supporter
Democratic Representative John Yarmuth, who also comes from the arch-conservative Kentucky, was horrified and also emphasized on Twitter that “not everyone in Kentucky is an insensitive asshole.” Controversies have never frightened Thomas Massie: his libertarian views have repeatedly caused offense within his own party.
Rohit “Ro” Khanna, on the other hand, is a left-wing democrat. The 49-year-old son of Indian immigrants supported in 2016 and 2020 Bernie Sanders’ presidential candidacy. He calls for more climate protection and was one of 20 Democrats last November behind a resolution accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Bright spot in polarization
At the same time, Khanna advocates for a two-state solution including the disarmament of Hamas and is committed to combating anti-Semitism at universities. When it comes to freedom of expression, he has almost libertarian views, which is why he was repeatedly supported by the controversial tech investor Peter Thiel in his congressional constituency in Silicon Valley.
There are certainly points of contact with Thomas Massie. Still, their alliance is a bright spot in today’s sharply polarized U.S. politics. Their views continue to differ on most issues, but they are fighting together for clarity in the Epstein scandal, supported by the former “super-Trumpist” Marjorie Taylor Greene.
She has herself fell out with the president and has since resigned from the House of Representatives. Thomas Massie should have a similar experience, at least if Trump has his way. The rebellious Republican has become a nuisance to him and he wants to get rid of him if possible already in the party’s internal primary for the midterms in November.
Massie leaves this cold. On CNN this week, he said he and Ro Khanna tried to prevent the politicization of the Epstein files: “We want to help the victims achieve justice and transparency.” Khanna, in turn, emphasized on X that he and Massie were different: “We don’t just make memes or speeches, we fight against a corrupt system.”
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