Johnson, GOP Aim to Counter Dems’ Epstein Messaging

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., is seeking to counter Democrats’ messaging on calling for the release of shielded files on the now-deceased convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—a surprise issue that is creating a messaging headache for Hill Republicans.

“The House Republicans are for transparency, and they’re looking for a way to say that,” Johnson told reporters Thursday.

Late Thursday afternoon, The Hill reported, based on anonymous sources, that Johnson’s team was preparing a House resolution to call for the release of more information on Epstein from the White House—a move meant to calm frustrated GOP members.

Since Attorney General Pam Bondi’s statements that Epstein died by suicide, rather than homicide, and that he had no known list of clients that the Department of Justice could offer to the public, Democrats have been quick to capitalize on online backlash.

In the House Rules Committee—the last stop before any bill comes to the House floor—Democrats attempted to put Republicans in an awkward position Monday with an amendment from Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to trigger a vote on the floor to force the Department of Justice to release its files on Epstein.

Last week, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., was the lone Republican to join the Democrats on the committee in voting for such an amendment, although it ultimately failed. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, was not present.

“I fail to see how that amendment is germane to this rule,” said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., who voted against the rule. 

On Thursday, Punchbowl News editor Jake Sherman—whose outlet often receives early exclusives from congressional offices—wrote on the social media platform X that “SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON and his leadership team are discussing offering an EPSTEIN-related resolution to try to quell the furor of members of the House Rules Committee.”

Sherman added, “GOP members of [the House Rules Committee] want political cover. RULES was supposed to meet this morning. They still haven’t even scheduled a hearing on rescissions. All because of this row over EPSTEIN and the House GOP’s handling of it.”

The House of Representatives, as of Thursday afternoon, had yet to advance the rescissions package cutting funding from public broadcasting and foreign aid, despite the fact that the legal deadline for passing that bill is Friday. It passed the Senate in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

On the House floor itself, Democrats also encouraged members on Tuesday to vote “no” on a procedural vote to “order the previous question,” since that would have triggered consideration of Khanna’s amendment to release the files on Epstein.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., characterized the whole thing as a cover-up.

“Republicans spent years screaming for the Epstein files to be released. Now, Donald Trump wants to hide them. Today, every ‘R’ can vote to release the files. Will they give the American people transparency or block the truth to protect Trump?” wrote Goldman on X.

Republicans, however, have countered that narrative, arguing that it was misrepresentation of a procedural vote that had nothing to do with Epstein.

“Here’s what really happened: Democrats claimed that if the Previous Question (PQ) failed, they’d offer an amendment to force the release of the Epstein files. But a PQ vote isn’t about Epstein, or any specific issue. It’s a procedural vote to end debate and let the majority control the floor. If it fails, the minority takes over,” wrote Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., in response to the Democrats’ allegations.

“Don’t fall for it. A TOTAL and COMPLETE LIE. This was a routine, party-line procedural vote. Nothing more,” she added. “In fact, a PQ hasn’t failed since the 1980s.”

Johnson said Thursday that Republicans are all for transparency and are also trying to move legislation forward amid obstruction.

“The House Rules Committee Republicans have been taking … criticism because they voted to stop the Democrats’ politicization of this, and they’re trying to stick to their job and move the procedural rules to the floor so we can do our work and get the rescissions done for the American people,” Johnson told reporters Thursday, adding:

They are for transparency, just as we all are, and we are looking for ways to express that. That’s all it is.

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