Forget the Epstein files, we’re on summer break
House Republicans are still trying to bury the Epstein scandal, hopeful that Americans will simply forget about it during the chamber’s summer break.
According to Politico, the GOP-controlled House will not take any votes on the Epstein files before the chamber begins its month-long recess in August.
The Epstein files have roiled President Donald Trump’s base for weeks, after the Trump administration claimed that there are no Epstein files to release—despite many of those same Republicans claiming Trump would make the files public if he were elected again.
Many in Trump’s MAGA base are not buying that claim, demanding the release of the files and sending Trump into such a rage that he called his own supporters “weaklings” and declared that he no longer wants their support.
The Epstein files have caused a massive headache for GOP congressional leaders, who are caught between quelling dissent in their own ranks and appeasing Dear Leader.
In order to do that, House Republicans crafted a resolution last week that called for the release of the Epstein files but carried no legal weight to enforce it. It was Speaker Mike Johnson’s effort to appease the White House and beat back a bipartisan bill that would have actually forced the release of the files.
But now, Johnson won’t even put that toothless legislation up for a vote before the House skips town, a deal he apparently worked out with the White House—which is seeking the release of Epstein grand jury documents, even though legal experts say that those documents are not exhaustive.
But the move could backfire on both Johnson and Trump, as even some of the most loyal GOP lawmakers are unhappy with the cover-up of the files.
“Dangling bits of red meat no longer satisfies,” GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wrote on X. “They want the whole steak dinner and will accept nothing else.”
Greene signed on to the bipartisan legislation—crafted by Reps. Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, and Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky—which would legally compel the Trump administration to release the files. Khanna and Massie are using a discharge petition to get the bill to the floor, a process by which a House majority can force a piece of legislation to a vote even if the speaker objects.
Meanwhile, as MAGA implodes over the Epstein files, more reports have surfaced showing just how close Trump and Epstein were.
The Wall Street Journal reported on a birthday message that Trump wrote to Epstein, complete with a drawing of a naked woman and a rather cryptic message.
“Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret,” he wrote.
The New York Times also published an article Sunday showing that a former Epstein employee went to the FBI twice to detail troubling encounters between Trump and Epstein.
And House Judiciary Committee Democrats said that FBI agents reviewing the Epstein files were told to flag any that referenced Trump.
Unsurprisingly, Trump’s handling of the Epstein files is deeply unpopular with Americans.
A Quinnipiac poll found that 63% of voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Epstein files, and an SSRS poll for CNN found that just 3% of Americans are satisfied with the amount of information released.
Similarly, a YouGov poll for The Economist found that 67% of Americans believe the Trump administration is covering up evidence relating to the Epstein case, including 59% of Trump’s own supporters.
“Why not vote on the binding Massie-Khanna Epstein legislation this week [Speaker Johnson]?” Massie wrote on X on Monday. “We should not punt this until after the 5 week recess, nor should we wait for my discharge petition to ripen and collect the required signatures to force the vote.”
