House largely grinds to a halt over Epstein files

The House has largely come to a halt as Republican leaders struggle to assuage a group of irate lawmakers who are demanding that the Justice Department release files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The House will adjourn Wednesday, a day earlier than expected, for its five-week recess from Washington after Republicans blocked most legislation from reaching the chamber floor for a vote this week. That means any move to release the files won’t come to the floor until at least September, if ever.

The move by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will effectively avoid dealing with an issue — for now — that is causing worry and anger among rank-and-file Republicans after a decision by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department not to release the files, which stirred a furious backlash among the MAGA base — and from lawmakers’ GOP constituents. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a key Trump ally who has criticized the administration on this issue, said “the call volume on Epstein” to her congressional and district offices “has almost been 100%.”

It may also avoid further antagonizing Trump, who has declared his supporters should move on from the issue and attempted to change the subject.

“We want any individual who has been involved in any way in the Epstein evils to be brought to justice as quickly as possible, and the law should be brought down upon their head,” Johnson said at his weekly news conference. “When the Epstein records are turned over to the public, which we must do as quickly as possible, we have to also be very judicious and careful about protecting the innocent.”

Johnson called for the files to be released just days after Trump’s Justice Department said it would not do so, effectively closing the case. But the furor over the files, which Trump and his allies stoked before he returned to the White House, did not die down, even after Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to ask a federal court to unseal grand jury documents. The Justice Department also said Tuesday it would seek to meet with Epstein’s imprisoned associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Some House Republicans were irate over the lack of action on Epstein and threatened to force the issue before the chamber breaks for August. It’s unclear what they can do, however.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) did introduce a motion Tuesday in the House Oversight Committee to subpoena testimony from Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and a convicted sex offender now serving time in federal prison. The motion was unanimously adopted, and Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is expected to seek a subpoena “as expeditiously as possible,” according to his spokesperson.

“I want justice for those thousands of young ladies who were abused, and I want the dirt bags of the world to know that we’re not going to tolerate it,” Burchett said.

Republicans on the House Rules Committee — which is the last stop before legislation hits the House floor — have for the second week in a row delayed meeting because of concerns they would be forced into uncomfortable votes by Democrats on the Epstein files.

Democrats on the panel have repeatedly dared Republicans to vote against amendments that, if adopted by the House and Senate, would force the Justice Department to release all documents related to Epstein and jump-start oversight investigations in the GOP-led House. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus who sits on the Rules Committee, said voting on Democratic amendments “is not a good use of our time.”

Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) told reporters Tuesday morning that the panel may not meet again until “possibly” September, meaning the House will not vote on any legislation this week that isn’t overwhelmingly bipartisan.

House Republican leaders’ inability to quell the rebellion from within their own ranks is the latest example of how the controversy related to Epstein continues to haunt the GOP after years of promising their base that a Trump administration would shed light on the matter.

Republicans do not appear likely to let the issue go upon their return to Washington. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is seeking to force a vote in the House via what’s known as a discharge petition, while leadership allowed a nonbinding resolution to pass the Rules Committee to force the release of the files, along with other information from the administration.

Attempting to contain the furor on Tuesday, Johnson told colleagues to remember that an expeditious release of the files could accidentally expose Epstein’s victims. Lawmakers took that to mean they should incorporate that perspective into how they message on the issue moving forward.

Johnson also rebuked Democrats for forcing votes on Epstein, characterizing their efforts as “gotcha politics” and a “charade.”

At the start of the week, House Republicans had hoped that the Epstein matter could be left in the past. Johnson told reporters early Monday that the House would not vote this week on any measure related to Epstein, despite the push from lawmakers. Last week he and Rules Committee Republicans compromised on allowing a vote on $9 billion in spending cuts, a Trump priority, if the panel could ready a separate vote on the nonbinding resolution. That resolution, however, would not have the force of law.

“It has no teeth in it. It’s basically meritless,” Greene said.

Leaders have never said when the nonbinding resolution would receive a vote, but some lawmakers were hoping for action before the August recess. In response to Johnson saying a vote would not happen this week, Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) said lawmakers would find a way to force a vote.

Republicans across the ideological spectrum, including from the Freedom Caucus, met with Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) late Monday to express their displeasure.

Massie has joined Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on a different resolution, which would have the force of law, to compel Bondi to release “all unclassified records, documents, and communications” in the government’s possession related to Epstein. Their use of a discharge petition would let them go around GOP leadership and force a floor vote if they can collect signatures from 218 lawmakers.

“I think this is the referendum on his leadership,” Massie told reporters, discussing Johnson. “Who’s he going to pick? Is he going to pick the pedophiles and the underage sex traffickers, or is he going to pick the American people and justice for the victims?”

Johnson responded to Massie’s push Tuesday, questioning why he did not force the issue during the Biden administration.

“Some people seem to enjoy trying to inflict political pain on their own teammates,” Johnson said. “I try to follow Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment: ‘Never speak evil of another Republican.’ My gosh, it’s hard to do sometimes around here. I also try to follow the Scripture: ‘Bless those who persecute you.’ So, let me just say about Thomas Massie, could you just accept my Southern, ‘Bless his heart?’ I don’t know what else to say about it.”

House Republicans may want action in Washington because of discontent they could face on Epstein at home.

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) said in an interview with a conservative home-state radio host last week that lawmakers have to “keep pushing” the administration until the files are released, “unless there’s somebody who Trump wants to protect.” Asked on Tuesday if he stood by his comments about pushing for the release of records, Grothman said he rarely hears from constituents about Epstein and that he’s “not going to push at all against President Trump.”

—

• Patrick Marley contributed.