Johnson says there will ‘probably’ be a vote on Epstein files
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Friday he thinks the House will “probably” vote on “one measure or another” related to releasing more information about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after a battle over the case sent the chamber into an early break last month.
Johnson said he’s not so sure the move will be a priority, though, as lawmakers have already begun to collect details from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its meetings with Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted after the wealthy financier died by suicide in a federal prison while awaiting trial in 2019.
“We have our own resolutions to do all this, but it’s sort of not necessary at the point because the administration is already doing this — they’re turning it over,” the Speaker said in an interview on CNN “News Central” Friday morning. “There probably will be a vote of some sense, but we’ve got to get everybody collected again and build consensus around that.”
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are planning to bring survivors of Epstein and Maxwell’s abuse to the Capitol next week to build support for a bipartisan resolution they’ve proposed that would force the Trump administration to release all documents and materials collectively referred to as the Epstein files.
“It’s not even necessary,” Johnson said. “The process is playing out as it should.”
“Very soon the American people will have that information, and they should have had it all along,” he added.
The House abruptly broke for its August recess a day ahead of schedule in July after the chamber reached a stalemate over attempts to uncover more information about the Epstein case.
Epstein hobnobbed in elite circles and was a longtime friend of President Trump before a falling-out that preceded Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea in a Florida prostitution case involving minors. Epstein’s crimes, social connections and death have all sparked intense public interest in the case.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the former Speaker, was among the critics who slammed the House’s early break last month, calling Johnson’s decision to leave early “shameful.”
“To block transparency in this manner is not only an abdication of duty — it is a profound insult to the victims who have carried the burden of this trauma for decades,” Pelosi wrote in a July 22 social media post.
Johnson insisted Friday that he supports transparency and is committed to informing the public about the Epstein case.
“We’re for maximum transparency,” he said. “With the Epstein files, I’ve been saying this for years — we’ve been intellectually consistent from day one, and over this break, over the last couple weeks in August, the Department of Justice and the administration have been fully compliant with Congress’ subpoenas, and they’ve submitted over 34,000 Epstein documents already.”
Johnson, though, has openly questioned whether Maxwell’s testimony holds any value for lawmakers.
“Can she be counted on to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness?” he told reporters July 23 of the “obvious concern” he has when asked if he supports the effort to subpoena her. “I mean, this is a person who’s been sentenced to many, many years in prison for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts, acts against innocent young people.”