Speaker Johnson punts Epstein vote until September, faces bipartisan pushback

WASHINGTON —  Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives continue to spar over the release of additional files related to the federal investigation into deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is orchestrating an early start to Congress’ summer recess this week as he faces dissent within his own party on how to approach the issue and is drawing criticism for the decision to regroup in over a month. The move delayed a vote on the files’ release until at least September, with Johnson saying his caucus has a “dual responsibility” of providing maximum transparency while also protecting innocent victims.

House Democrats argued the delay reflects their fear about what may be disclosed about President Donald Trump and his relationship with Epstein in the files.

The House Speaker said safeguarding victims is the standard in law enforcement and with government agencies.

“We cannot be careless in an open release like that,” he said.

Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina accused Republican leadership of "stalling" on Tuesday morning.

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican on the outs with Trump and GOP leadership, teamed up with Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna to attempt to force a vote. Trump trashed Massie on social media on Monday evening, calling him "the worst Republican Congressman" and "an Embarassment ot Kentucky."

The dispute comes as Trump has launched a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over an article on his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges connected to more than a decade of sexually abusing children hundreds of times over and exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14, authorities say.

The president on Tuesday continued to express aggravation, as he has for weeks, at the interest in the case.

"I don't really follow that too much... it's sort of a witch hunt," Trump said during an event in the Oval Office. "The witch hunt you should be talking about is they caught President [Barack] Obama absolutely cold."

As interest in the Epstein case continued to rise, Trump spent recent days calling for the prosecution and imprisonment of Obama and other political enemies over a recent report focused on the former president's handling of 2016 investigations into Russian election meddling efforts.

Last week, Trump ordered the Justice Department to ask a federal court to approve the release of some unreleased files and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, one of the president’s former personal criminal attorneys, said on Tuesday he planned to speak with Epstein’s longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell to discuss any additional information “about anyone who has committed crimes against victims.” Maxwell was convicted of helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls and is currently serving out a 20-year prison sentence.

Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Marcus said in a statement that they were in discussions with the Justice Department and pledged Maxwell will “testify truthfully,” adding they “are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.”

Separately on Tuesday, the Republican-controlled House Oversight committee moved to subpoena Maxwell.

House Republicans said they had crafted a resolution to release more of the case records and planned to vote on it this week, but Democrats decried the resolution for lacking any legal force to insist the Justice Department release more records before Johnson delayed the vote Tuesday.

“They’re shielding Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, including the President of the United States, from accountability despite promising for years to release the files that implicate those involved,” House Democratic Caucus chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said Tuesday.

Democratic Caucus co-chair Ted Lieu, D-Calif., accused House Republicans of ending their work week early “because they’re afraid to cast votes on the Jeffrey Epstein issue. The Rules Committee is not meeting because they’re afraid to cast votes to release the Epstein files.”

Lieu accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of protecting Epstein’s legacy and his alleged list of wealthy and powerful "clients," which she said was sitting on her desk for review in February but has since backtracked on its existence.

Lieu said Trump "was all over the Epstein files that were already released" during the Biden administration, including in multiple videos, photos and Epstein's private plane logs.

“Jeffrey Epstein was prosecuted under the Department of Justice under Donald Trump,” Aguilar said Tuesday. “Then he leaves the White House and his closest friend spends four years amplifying theories about the case. Put up or shut up. Follow through or don’t follow through, but the American people want the truth to come out.”