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Epstein vote looms as Democrats force House speaker’s hand



House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that his chamber will vote next week
on a bill to compel the Justice Department to release its files on accused sex
trafficker Jeffrey Epstein—a move that follows weeks of internal Republican
pressure and a procedural ambush by Democrats.

“We’re going to put that on the floor for a full vote next week, as soon as
we get back,” Johnson told reporters, adding that the House Oversight Committee
“has been working around the clock” on its own review of Epstein’s connections.

The announcement came just hours after Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva was
sworn into Congress, giving Democrats the 218th signature needed on a discharge
petition that forces a floor vote on the measure. The bipartisan bill, from
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of
California, mandates the public release of unsealed documents from the
government’s Epstein investigation.




 



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Under House rules, Johnson wasn’t required to act until early December. His
decision to move faster underscores frustration within the GOP, which has spent
months trying to defuse political pressure over Epstein—and President Donald
Trump’s ties to him.

The upcoming vote poses an awkward test for Republicans. Trump has dismissed
renewed scrutiny of Epstein as a “hoax,” but many in the conference are wary of
being accused of protecting pedophiles if they oppose disclosure.

“Just get it to the daggum floor and let the people decide,” said Tennessee
Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican, who broke ranks on Wednesday by attempting to
force an expedited vote. “I’m tired of messing around. The Democrats have had
the Epstein files for four years, and now we’ve got it for nine months, and
it’s going to be dragged into a bunch of nonsense. Let’s just take it to the
floor. Let’s vote on it. Let’s get on with it.”

Khanna said on Thursday that he, Massie, and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor
Greene of Georgia will hold a news conference next week with Epstein survivors
to highlight bipartisan support for the release.

Grijalva’s swearing-in and signature on the discharge petition caps weeks of
Johnson’s politically motivated stalling on the issue, which is suspected of
involving damaging information on Trump. Her vote compelled the petition and
bypassed GOP leadership’s blockade.

“It’s completely moot now,” Johnson said. “We might as well just do it. I
mean, they have 218 signatures, that’s fine, we’ll do it.”

Even if the bill clears the House, it’s unlikely to pass the Senate, and
Trump is almost certain to veto it. But putting every House Republican on the
record about releasing the Epstein files could damage them in next year’s
midterm elections. If they support the bill, they might face Trump’s ire, but
if they oppose the bill, they might face blowback from their base, which has
been fed years of Epstein-related conspiracies.





 



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Also on Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee released an additional 20,000
pages of documents from Epstein’s estate. And earlier this year, reports
circulated about a creepy birthday card to Epstein that appears to have been
signed by Trump.

“Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret,” reads the
card, which The Wall Street Journal first reported about in September.

According to The Washington Post, newly released emails show Epstein wrote to
himself in 2019 that Trump “knew of it”—seemingly referring to sexual abuse of
underage girls—but “never got a massage.” In those same emails, Epstein also
mentioned Trump by name numerous times.

Asked about the new disclosures, Johnson dismissed them.

“I think it’s a massive distraction by the Democrats while we’re trying to get
the government reopened and cover for their mistakes,” he said.

House Republicans are eager to put the Epstein controversy behind them as they
scramble to make up for weeks lost during the government shutdown, when Johnson
kept the chamber out of session.

Two more House Republicans, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Eli Crane of Arizona,
have since stated that they’ll support the bill, according to CNN. They join
Burchett and Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska in breaking with Trump. GOP leaders now
expect possibly around 100 defections when the measure hits the floor,
according to Politico.

The signatures are there, the vote’s coming, and the political firestorm
around Epstein isn’t dying down anytime soon.

Click here to check out this story on DailyKos.com.
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