U.S. Speaker of the Home Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks as (L-R) Home Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Home Majority Chief Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) pay attention throughout a information convention on the U.S. Capitol on July 22, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong | Getty Photos
The Home of Representatives will start its August recess early to keep away from Republicans being compelled to vote on Democratic-backed motions associated to the Jeffrey Epstein information.
“There isn’t any function for Congress to push an administration to do one thing that they are already doing,” Home Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., informed reporters on Tuesday, as he argued towards fast votes on the Epstein information.
“And so that is for political video games,” Johnson mentioned about lawmakers’ efforts to power votes on releasing Division of Justice investigative information concerning the infamous intercourse offender Epstein, and his convicted procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Republicans, who management the Home majority, cancelled votes anticipated to happen on Thursday. The Home will start its August recess on Wednesday afternoon, leaving on the desk a collection of deliberate legislative votes that had been unrelated to Epstein.
“We are able to each name for full transparency and in addition shield victims,” Johnson mentioned.
“And should you run roughshod otherwise you do it too shortly, that is not what occurs,” he mentioned. “However I am satisfied that the DOJ goes to do their job, the administration goes to do their job, and we’ll do our job.”
Johnson lashed out at a fellow Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, whom he accused of making an attempt to “chew” members of the GOP caucus by teaming up with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California on a vote to power the DOJ to launch the Epstein information.
“I do not perceive Thomas Massie’s motivation. I actually do not,” Johnson fumed. “Thomas Massie might have introduced his discharge petition anytime during the last 4 years of the Biden administration. He might have accomplished that at any time, and now he is clamoring as if there’s some form of timeline on it,” Johnson continued.
“It is attention-grabbing to me that he selected the election of President Trump to convey this, to staff up with the Democrats and convey this discharge petition,” the speaker mentioned.
The Trump administration, dealing with a powerful backlash over the Division of Justice’s resolution to renege on a promise to launch the Epstein and Maxwell case information, has taken a number of steps to mitigate that criticism in current days.
Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi had DOJ attorneys final week ask federal judges to unseal the transcripts of grand jury proceedings associated to the felony circumstances towards Epstein and Maxwell.
On Tuesday, Deputy Lawyer Basic Todd Blanche mentioned he was talking with Maxwell’s protection lawyer to see if Maxwell “could be keen to talk with prosecutors” to see if she “has details about anybody who has dedicated crimes towards victims.”
Maxwell is serving a 20-year jail sentence for crimes associated to her acquiring and grooming women for Epstein to sexually abuse. Epstein killed himself whereas in a New York federal jail in August 2019, weeks after he was arrested on baby intercourse trafficking expenses lodged by the DOJ throughout Trump’s first time period within the White Home.
Blanche beforehand served as a felony protection lawyer for Trump when the president was indicted in 4 separate circumstances after ending his first White Home time period in January 2017.
Trump is a former good friend of Epstein, however the two males had a falling out within the mid-2000s.
A spokeswoman for the Home Oversight Committee informed NBC Information on Tuesday that the panel will subpoena Maxwell “as expeditiously as doable.”
The commitee can proceed doing work throughout the Home’s upcoming recess.
