CNN – House Republican leaders who have tried to contain the furor over the Jeffrey Epstein files lost their grip on the matter this week — and surrendered control of the wider operations of the lower chamber.
A bonanza of subpoenas for Epstein-related materials and testimony erupted in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. A House Appropriations Committee markup was postponed amid threats of Democrats forcing more Epstein-related materials. And a rebellion on the House Rules Committee over Epstein amendments thwarted plans for House votes, prompting leaders to begin August recess one day early.
Hanging over the whirlwind of a week is a discharge petition that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is vowing to spearhead for his bipartisan resolution — cosponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) — calling for the release of the Epstein files. The mechanism will not be ready for action until September, given the House’s strict rules, meaning the Epstein saga will still be a live issue on Capitol Hill when lawmakers return from their August recess.
Supporters of the effort say they have no plans to relent.
“I think it’ll grow,” Massie said when asked if he thinks the Epstein controversy will still be of interest when the House returns in September.
That prediction runs counter to the posture of House GOP leaders, who had hoped the coming August recess would give the Epstein saga time to fade.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) argued this week that the courts need time to work through the process, giving deference to the administration to release information on its own terms before the House compelled it to do so.
In a sign of that position, House GOP leaders acquiesced to members of the House Rules Committee who wanted to avoid taking more votes on Democratic amendments on Epstein, putting the panel into an indefinite recess and delaying bills that were scheduled to come up for a full floor vote — though Johnson publicly said the move was to avoid playing Democrats’ “political games.”
