Will House Vote To Release Epstein Files? Mike Johnson Says He Won’t Stand In Way

Topline

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday he will allow the House to vote on releasing the government’s files on Jeffrey Epstein as soon as lawmakers gather enough signatures to bring the measure to the floor—but Johnson’s continued refusal to swear in a newly elected Democratic congresswoman has ensured that signature threshold won’t be reached soon.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 21.

Key Facts

Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., have been pushing for the House to vote on releasing the Epstein files, and are gathering signatures for what’s known as a “discharge petition,” which would force the measure to the House floor for a vote.

The signatures of 218 lawmakers are required in order to force a vote, and Johnson committed Tuesday to the measure being voted on when it hits that number, telling reporters, “If it hits 218, it comes to the floor.”

Johnson denied he would do anything to block the measure from being voted on, saying, “That’s how it works: If you get the signatures, it goes to a vote.”

But Johnson has also refused to swear in Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who was elected to the House on Sept. 23 but has not yet formally taken office, because the House was adjourned when she was elected, and Johnson has insisted her swearing-in has to wait until the government shutdown has ended.

Grijalva is key to the effort to release the Epstein files, as she would be the 218th lawmaker to support Khanna and Massie’s petition, so Johnson has been criticized for effectively blocking the files’ release by refusing to seat her, though he’s denied that being his intent.

Johnson has largely kept the House adjourned during the shutdown and has defended his decision not to swear in Grijalva, telling reporters Monday he’s “willing and anxious” to seat her, but he “hope[s]” to do that “on the first day we come back [to] legislative session.”

Crucial Quote

Johnson in his comments Tuesday broadly denied any impropriety on Republicans’ part in how the Epstein files are being handled, claiming any House vote on releasing the files is unnecessary because documents are already being released through the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Epstein. “The bipartisan House Oversight Committee is already accomplishing what the discharge petition, that gambit, sought and much more,” Johnson said, calling Khanna and Massie’s efforts “superfluous.” The Republican leader also decried Democrats’ calls to release the Epstein files more broadly, claiming Democrats are “utterly lost as a party” and the Epstein drama is a “shiny object” they can “latch onto.” Democratic lawmakers “did not say one word about the Epstein files” during Joe Biden’s presidency, Johnson said Tuesday, claiming Democrats are now “feign[ing] outrage” by suggesting the files will be damaging to President Donald Trump.

What About The House Oversight Committee?

The House Oversight Committee is investigating Epstein’s alleged abuse and has subpoenaed the Justice Department for all of its Epstein files. The DOJ has been in the process of turning over those files, and the committee has already made some public—though many already were—but the process has seemingly been on hold during the government shutdown. Sources cited by Politico last week said the committee has not heard anything from the DOJ regarding the subpoena since the government shut down on Oct. 1, and the committee’s Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi “express[ing] grave concern” about the DOJ still not turning over many important documents. “Despite multiple requests … DOJ has failed to provide any substantive or insightful information as to when the Committee may expect further productions of documents,” Garcia wrote to Bondi on Oct. 16. House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters Tuesday the “investigation hasn’t stopped during the shutdown,” and said the committee has been trying to schedule an interview with former President Bill Clinton, who was known to associate with Epstein but has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Key Background

Epstein has been accused of sexually assaulting more than 100 women, many of whom were underage, before he was arrested in 2019 and subsequently died in prison. Interest in the late financier’s case has surged in recent months, after DOJ leaders issued a memo over the summer saying no further Epstein files would be publicly released. The memo marked an about-face for officials like Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, who had long promised to release the files and stoked conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s case. Their sudden refusal to disclose more information sparked a massive backlash from even Trump’s own supporters. House lawmakers, including some Republicans, have taken up the issue of the Epstein files in light of the DOJ’s refusal to voluntarily release more information, with the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee approving a subpoena for the full Epstein files and Massie and Khanna joining forces on the discharge petition.