Mike Johnson’s Gamble on Releasing Epstein Files Blows Up in His Face
If House Speaker Mike Johnson thought his friend, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, would help delay a move to make government files on Jeffrey Epstein public, he was sorely mistaken.
The House voted 427-1 in favor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act (HR4405) on Tuesday. Soon after, Thune seemed optimistic that efforts to release to the Senate a comprehensive trove of documents on the alleged sex offender, who had ties to prominent figures such as President Donald Trump, would continue.
Thune said the Senate would likely consider the petition “very quickly,” after Trump revealed he was “ready” to sign it, according to Burgess Everett of Semafor.
Thune acknowledged that Johnson hoped his Senate colleagues would amend the legislation, but admitted that making changes “wasn’t likely” after overwhelming support from the House.
This could be bad news for Johnson. Earlier Tuesday, the staunch Trump ally said he was “very confident» that Thune and Senate Republicans would address his own list of concerns about the resolution.
Alongside his alleged concerns about failing to protect victims’ identities or adequately prevent the dissemination of child sexual abuse material, Johnson also expressed fears that publication could potentially reveal “non-credible allegations” and risk “creating new victims.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, the only Republican co-sponsor of the resolution, dismissed Johnson’s so-called concerns as a “red herring” and warned they could simply be another “delaying tactic.”
