Congress is closer to voting on another bill to obtain Epstein records from the Justice Department. Another. The first transparency law has apparently reached the stage of government service where you must bring a second law to prove you possess the first law.

Roll Call reports that Thomas Massie’s discharge petition reached 218 signatures, enough to bypass House leadership. There is still a seven-legislative-day waiting period before a signer can call it up. The new bill hasn’t passed. This is the exciting procedural milestone at which Congress earns the opportunity to ask Congress to do something.

Last November’s disclosure law passed the House 427–1, cleared the Senate and was signed by Trump. That is not a subtle instruction. If 427 people in a room point toward the same filing cabinet, perhaps the cabinet should become involved.

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Massie alleges that the department is withholding more than 3 million files covered by that law and heavily redacting others. That is his allegation, not an independently established count. The proposed sequel would let state attorneys general, local prosecutors and victims sue over withheld records. It would also let victims privately inspect unredacted records mentioning them.

So the next transparency measure supplies a way to fight for the transparency the last transparency measure required. We are dangerously close to needing a third act and a cinematic universe.

Massie is leaving Congress after losing his primary. The records dispute is demonstrating considerably better job security.

The victims’ ability to see records about themselves deserves more than an endless legislative obstacle course. Congress should be able to write a law without having to return a year later and specify that the verbs were instructions.