Kentucky Congressman Lists 14 Alleged "Co-Conspirators," Including the Italian Auto Executive, in Push for File Release.Representative Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who has spent much of the past year pushing for the full release of federal Epstein files, escalated his campaign again on August 31, reading out 14 names on the House floor of people he described as Jeffrey Epstein's "co-conspirators." Among them: Lapo Elkann, the Italian businessman and board member of Ferrari and Stellantis, grandson of Fiat patriarch Gianni Agnelli.Massie's speech came alongside the introduction of a new bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, which would expand access to federal Epstein records for state prosecutors, survivors and members of Congress, and open new legal avenues to challenge material the Justice Department has withheld or redacted. He's also begun collecting the 218 signatures needed for a discharge petition, a procedural mechanism that could force a floor vote on the bill regardless of leadership's wishes. The Full List, and What Massie Actually Said In the order he named them, Massie's list included: Jes Staley, Leon Black, Les Wexner, David Copperfield, Lapo Elkann, Tom Pritzker, Glenn Dubin, Frédéric Fekkai, Edoardo Teodorani-Fabbri, Jean-Luc Brunel, Daniel Siad, Ramsey Elkholy, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew), and Lesley Groff, Epstein's former executive assistant. Massie didn't treat all 14 names identically. He noted that Brunel, a modeling scout, died by suicide in a French prison, and that Siad was recently found dead in Paris, comments made pointedly, as if underscoring what he sees as a pattern of convenient deaths among Epstein's associates. He accused Groff specifically of conspiring with Epstein to traffic other women, explicitly stating she was "not a victim." Of Prince Andrew, he said he "committed sex crimes in the United States, too." He closed by saying he hoped hearing the names read aloud might shame the Department of Justice into delivering actual accountability. An Important Distinction: Allegation, Not Verdict It's worth being precise about what this moment actually is, and isn't. Massie's remarks did not establish that Elkann, or the majority of the people on his list, committed any crime. Being named in documents connected to Epstein, or having simply associated with him socially, does not by itself imply guilt, a distinction multiple outlets covering the speech (including Newsweek) explicitly flagged. Several of the people Massie named have never been charged with any Epstein-related offense and have denied wrongdoing. As of this writing, there's no public indication Elkann has responded directly to being named. There's also a legal wrinkle specific to how Massie made these claims: statements made by a sitting member of Congress during official House floor proceedings are protected under the Constitution's "speech or debate clause," meaning Massie himself cannot face civil or criminal liability for what he said on the floor, regardless of whether the underlying allegations hold up. Not Massie's First Time Doing This This wasn't an isolated outburst. Massie previously named alleged Epstein associates back in February, part of a broader, sustained campaign he's waged against what he characterizes as the Trump administration's reluctance to release the full trove of roughly six million Epstein-related files. That advocacy has come at a real political cost: Massie has said publicly that his pursuit of the files is among the reasons he was singled out by President Trump and targeted for defeat in a primary challenge, having already lost a primary contest earlier this year. Why Elkann's Inclusion Matters Beyond U.S. Politics For an American audience, Elkann's name is one among 14, a businessman with limited public profile stateside. In Italy, it lands very differently. Elkann sits on the boards of Ferrari and Stellantis and is a member of the Agnelli family, one of the country's most prominent industrial dynasties, making his inclusion on a list read into the U.S. Congressional Record a story with real domestic weight in Italy regardless of whether any formal allegation or charge ever follows. What Happens Next Massie's discharge petition still needs to reach 218 signatures to force a floor vote, a high bar in a chamber where party leadership generally prefers to control which bills reach the floor. Whether the Epstein Files Transparency Act II ultimately gets a vote, and whether any of the names Massie read out on August 31 face further scrutiny beyond a Congressional floor speech, remains to be seen. For now, what's confirmed is narrower than the headlines suggest: a member of Congress has publicly alleged a connection, under the protection of Congressional privilege, without that allegation being tested, charged, or proven in any court. Ph: DELBO ANDREA / Shutterstock.com

Representative Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who has spent much of the past year pushing for the full release of federal Epstein files, escalated his campaign again on August 31, reading out 14 names on the House floor of people he described as Jeffrey Epstein's "co-conspirators." Among them: Lapo Elkann, the Italian businessman and board member of Ferrari and Stellantis, grandson of Fiat patriarch Gianni Agnelli. Massie's speech came alongside the introduction of a new bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, which would expand access to federal Epstein records for state prosecutors, survivors and members of Congress, and open new legal avenues to challenge material the Justice Department has withheld or redacted. He's also begun collecting the 218 signatures needed for a discharge petition, a procedural mechanism that could force a floor vote on the bill regardless of leadership's wishes. In the order he named them, Massie's list included: Jes Staley, Leon Black, Les Wexner, David Copperfield, Lapo Elkann, Tom Pritzker, Glenn Dubin, Frédéric Fekkai, Edoardo Teodorani-Fabbri, Jean-Luc Brunel, Daniel Siad, Ramsey Elkholy, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew), and Lesley Groff, Epstein's former executive assistant. Massie didn't treat all 14 names identically. He noted that Brunel, a modeling scout, died by suicide in a French prison, and that Siad was recently found dead in Paris, comments made pointedly, as if underscoring what he sees as a pattern of convenient deaths among Epstein's associates. He accused Groff specifically of conspiring with Epstein to traffic other women, explicitly stating she was "not a victim." Of Prince Andrew, he said he "committed sex crimes in the United States, too." He closed by saying he hoped hearing the names read aloud might shame the Department of Justice into delivering actual accountability. It's worth being precise about what this moment actually is, and isn't. Massie's remarks did not establish that Elkann, or the majority of the people on his list, committed any crime. Being named in documents connected to Epstein, or having simply associated with him socially, does not by itself imply guilt, a distinction multiple outlets covering the speech (including Newsweek) explicitly flagged. Several of the people Massie named have never been charged with any Epstein-related offense and have denied wrongdoing. As of this writing, there's no public indication Elkann has responded directly to being named. There's also a legal wrinkle specific to how Massie made these claims: statements made by a sitting member of Congress during official House floor proceedings are protected under the Constitution's "speech or debate clause," meaning Massie himself cannot face civil or criminal liability for what he said on the floor, regardless of whether the underlying allegations hold up. This wasn't an isolated outburst. Massie previously named alleged Epstein associates back in February, part of a broader, sustained campaign he's waged against what he characterizes as the Trump administration's reluctance to release the full trove of roughly six million Epstein-related files. That advocacy has come at a real political cost: Massie has said publicly that his pursuit of the files is among the reasons he was singled out by President Trump and targeted for defeat in a primary challenge, having already lost a primary contest earlier this year. For an American audience, Elkann's name is one among 14, a businessman with limited public profile stateside. In Italy, it lands very differently. Elkann sits on the boards of Ferrari and Stellantis and is a member of the Agnelli family, one of the country's most prominent industrial dynasties, making his inclusion on a list read into the U.S. Congressional Record a story with real domestic weight in Italy regardless of whether any formal allegation or charge ever follows. Massie's discharge petition still needs to reach 218 signatures to force a floor vote, a high bar in a chamber where party leadership generally prefers to control which bills reach the floor. Whether the Epstein Files Transparency Act II ultimately gets a vote, and whether any of the names Massie read out on August 31 face further scrutiny beyond a Congressional floor speech, remains to be seen. For now, what's confirmed is narrower than the headlines suggest: a member of Congress has publicly alleged a connection, under the protection of Congressional privilege, without that allegation being tested, charged, or proven in any court. Ph: DELBO ANDREA / Shutterstock.com