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In a political stir, House Speaker Mike Johnson declared Tuesday that members would depart Washington a day sooner for their five-week summer break, essentially stopping a bipartisan effort to unseal all government records associated with the late money man and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The ruling avoided a resolution sponsored by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, which aimed to require the Justice Department and FBI to disclose all documents related to Epstein, who took his own life in prison in 2019 while facing trial on federal sex trafficking allegations.
“We are not going to let Democrats turn this into a political battering ram,” said Johnson, a Louisiana Republican. “This is a serious matter and shouldn’t be reduced to political games.”
The resolution had picked up bipartisan support, as some Republicans followed Democrats in calling for openness. House Democrats tried to force a vote during a Rules Committee hearing on Monday. Republicans suddenly shut down the hearing, stopping further action and removing the possibility of the resolution getting onto the House floor this week.
Whereas the House was originally set to make final votes on Thursday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said that only minor bills under suspension of the rules would be addressed on Tuesday and Wednesday. This guaranteed no significant legislative action would be taken prior to the recess.
The Epstein case remains controversial, particularly among supporters of former President Donald Trump. It had been hoped by many that Trump-era threats to unseal Epstein-related documents would yield results. But the Trump administration went back on its words later, asserting no evidence existed to corroborate the commonly circulating conspiracy theories. This about-face created frustration and distrust within Trump’s MAGA base. Reuters/Ipsos polling shows that most Americans a huge chunk of Republicans included think the government is keeping secrets about Epstein.
Piling more pressure, a House Oversight subcommittee voted to subpoena Epstein’s longtime associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison. Attorney General Pam Bondi also asked a federal judge unseal grand jury transcripts pertaining to both Epstein and Maxwell.
In defiance of growing public pressure for answers, Republican leadership’s next move has pushed further inquiry at least temporarily back on the legislative agenda, leaving unanswered questions about the Epstein case as lawmakers depart for recess.
