Rep. Mike Johnson Shuts Down House To Avoid Epstein Vote
Speaker Mike Johnson Shuts Down House Business To Avoid Vote On Epstein Files
In a move that stunned even members of his own party, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) abruptly ended legislative business early this week to avoid a floor vote on releasing the remaining files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The chamber was scheduled to be in session through Thursday ahead of the annual five-week summer recess, but on Tuesday, the Republican majority announced that the last votes of the week would take place the following day. Democrats in turn accused the GOP of leaving town rather than dealing with the outcry over Donald Trump’s handling of the investigation into the alleged sex trafficker.
“They are actually ending this week early because they’re afraid to cast votes on the Jeffrey Epstein issue,” said Ted Lieu, the vice-chair of the House Democratic caucus.
Instead of allowing a vote, Johnson recessed the House on Wednesday afternoon, two days ahead of schedule, citing “political games” and “theatrics” by Democrats and dissident Republicans; and one week after calling for transparency himself while being interviewed on a conservative podcast.
“There’s no purpose for Congress to push an administration to do something that they’re already doing. And so this is for political games,” he said. “I’m very resolute on this, we can both call for full transparency and also protect victims, and if you run roughshod, or you do it too quickly, that’s not what happens.”
Behind the scenes, however, Johnson’s decision underscores the House GOP’s deep divisions and its increasing deference to Donald Trump. Despite growing calls from MAGA voters to release the Epstein files, the Trump-aligned House leadership is hesitant to cross the former president, who has privately signaled his desire to move on from the matter.
Democrats, seizing on the moment, accused Johnson and the GOP of protecting the powerful by attempting to protect the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender whose powerful connections continue to haunt Washington.
“They do whatever Donald Trump tells them to do,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, said. “The public deserves to know who was involved with Epstein. Republicans are clearly trying to hide something.”
The legislative calendar reportedly included Republican-led votes on immigration, environmental regulations, and Biden-era policies, but all proceedings were shelved after the House Rules Committee, stacked with Johnson allies, collapsed under internal discord when Democrats threatened to force votes on the Epstein materials through procedural tactics. All but one Republican on the committee, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), blocked efforts to consider the matter.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he still planned to circumvent House Republican leaders and try to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files in September, with the help of Democrats, using a maneuver known as a discharge petition.
“He just told us in there to stick their heads in the sand about this Epstein thing,” Mr. Massie said, adding that Speaker Johnson offered “no clear explanation” for the delay.
In a rare moment of public rebuke, Johnson lashed out at Massie during the final GOP conference of the session.
“Some here are much more frustrating than others,” Johnson said. “I don’t know how his mind works; I don’t know what he’s thinking.” He ended his tirade against Mr. Massie by expressing some restrained Southern pique: “Bless his heart.”
But Massie remains unfazed, walking the Capitol with a binder labeled, “The Epstein Files: Phase 2 … DECLASSIFIED,” as he revealed to reporters that he’s confident the discharge petition will gain the 218 signatures needed when lawmakers return in September. “I think momentum will build over recess. I don’t think this issue is going away.”
On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate who is currently serving a 20-year sentence related to the sex trafficking case. The motion, introduced by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), was supported by several Republicans, including Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is also seeking a meeting with Maxwell, further fueling speculation that Epstein’s files remain politically volatile. Still, the Justice Department has yet to commit to full public release, even as Trump has continued to downplay the matter in recent days.
Speaker Johnson insisted that the Trump administration is already addressing the issue, and that Congressional action would be redundant, but critics say the optics are clear. Rather than allow votes that might expose powerful individuals, some potentially within their own party, House Republicans instead chose to pack up early, sacrificing their own agenda in the process.
Questions surrounding Epstein’s 2019 death and his involvement in running a sex trafficking ring that allegedly procured underage girls for global elites flared up earlier this month after the justice department announced its determination that he committed suicide in a federal prison, and he had no client list that could be released.
The disclosure, along with the department’s statement that it would release no further information about the case, sparked an uproar among many supporters of the president, who believed he would get to the bottom of a supposed “deep state” plot to cover up Epstein’s ties to global elites. Some of Trump’s own officials had promoted such expectations, including Bondi, who in February told Fox News that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review.”
With Americans increasingly demanding answers about Epstein’s network of enablers, and bipartisan pressure mounting in Congress, Speaker Johnson may find that ducking accountability over summer recess only intensifies the political reckoning awaiting him in the fall.
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