During a recent appearance on This Week, ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz pushed back on comments made by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who referred to the current White House as the “Epstein administration.” Raddatz clarified on air that President Donald Trump has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.
Massie has been critical of the administration’s handling of the so-called Epstein files following a 2025 document release by the Department of Justice. The DOJ stated that it had released all relevant materials from the criminal investigation, except for grand jury records that remain sealed by court order. Massie, alongside Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), co-sponsored the bipartisan Epstein Transparency Act, which mandated the release of additional case-related documents with protections for victims and uninvolved individuals.
The subsequent document disclosures included emails, flight logs, and other materials referencing numerous public figures. However, officials have cautioned that many names appear in the files for incidental reasons, such as routine correspondence or unverified tips, and that inclusion does not imply wrongdoing. The DOJ has also addressed concerns about redactions, stating that certain names were initially withheld to avoid misidentifying individuals not connected to criminal conduct.
During the interview, Massie argued that further transparency is still needed and criticized how certain names were handled in the document release.
Raddatz referenced statements from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who said some individuals mentioned in public discussions had no connection to Epstein’s crimes and were part of unrelated investigative materials. Massie responded that he had acknowledged the possibility that some names came from prior investigative lineups.
Toward the end of the exchange, Massie suggested that the administration was insufficiently transparent and used the phrase “Epstein administration” to describe it. Raddatz concluded by reiterating that, based on years of investigations and publicly released information, President Trump has not been implicated in Epstein’s criminal activities. Historical reporting has noted that Trump and Epstein were social acquaintances in the 1990s but later had a falling out, and no criminal charges have been brought against Trump in relation to the case.