In order to avoid holding votes on the release of information pertaining to the alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday that he was finishing the week’s parliamentary work and sending the House home early for the summer on Wednesday.
He took the action to prevent Democrats from trying to compel procedural votes on bills that would require the Justice Department to provide the data. It demonstrated how the House is currently stuck by the extreme differences among Republicans on the issue, as they attempt to avoid a politically risky vote on a topic that is confusing President Trump and upsetting their MAGA base.
At a press conference, Mr. Johnson, who usually doesn’t get upset, declared, “We’re done being lectured on transparency.”
As he concluded his last press conference before September, he bemoaned the ceaseless attempts to politicize the Epstein investigation and stated, “We’re not going to play political games with this.”
This week, Republicans were scheduled to vote on a permitting law, an immigration legislation, and a repeal of some restrictions from the Biden administration. However, Democrats have frequently called for votes on the Epstein issue, upending the House Rules Committee, the speaker’s powerful body that decides which legislation makes it to the floor.
The committee’s Democrats pledged to push for another vote of that kind this week as part of a standard procedure to permit discussion of unrelated legislation. However, Republicans were reluctant to speak out on the issue for fear of reprisals from irate supporters who are calling for the Epstein papers to be made public.
As a result, the House is unable to proceed with any significant legislation. Republicans now intend to schedule a recess by midafternoon on Wednesday after concluding voting on a few noncontroversial items on Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Following his original statement that the data should be made public, Mr. Johnson swore on Monday that he would not have a vote this summer regarding the release of the Epstein papers, citing Mr. Trump’s need for time to decide how to proceed. He asserted Tuesday that Republicans in the House shared a common view on the matter. However, it seemed that they were far from it.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, stated that crimes had been committed. People will become weary of it if there is no responsibility or justice. People are mostly found there.
South Carolina Republican Representative Ralph Norman, who is on the Rules panel, chastised his leaders for their inaction on the issue.
He posted on social media on Tuesday, saying that the American people should not be given excuses but rather action. Before August recess, let’s cast our votes and make it happen!
With the assistance of Democrats, Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, stated that he still intended to use a discharge petition to get around House Republican leaders and force a vote on the release of the Epstein papers in September.
At a Republican conference meeting, Mr. Massie said, “He just told us in there to stick their heads in the sand about this Epstein thing.” He pointed out that Mr. Johnson had not provided members with a clear explanation of why a vote on the issue needed to be postponed.
Mr. Johnson remarked of Mr. Massie, “There are some here that are much more frustrating than others.” I have no idea what he’s thinking or how his mind functions. His petition for discharge might have been filed at any moment. He is now demanding as though there were a deadline. “Bless his heart” was his final Southern pique.
The House Oversight Committee also decided on Tuesday to summon Ghislaine Maxwell, Mr. Epstein’s longtime partner who is currently serving a 20-year term due to a conviction for sex trafficking, for a deposition. A number of Republican members backed the resolution to subpoena Ms. Maxwell, which was sponsored by Representative Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee who has advocated for greater transparency in the Epstein case.
Additionally, Ms. Greene had doubts regarding Ms. Maxwell’s testimony, pointing out that she was probably bartering for something, such as a pardon from the president.
