House speaker starts August recess early to avoid Jeffrey Epstein votes

The House of Representatives volition statesman its August recess aboriginal to debar Republicans being forced to ballot connected Democratic-backed motions related to the Jeffrey Epstein files.

"There's nary intent for Congress to propulsion an medication to bash thing that they're already doing," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters connected Tuesday, arsenic helium argued against speedy votes connected the Epstein files.

"And truthful this is for governmental games," Johnson said astir lawmakers' efforts to unit votes connected releasing Department of Justice investigative files astir the notorious enactment offender Epstein, and his convicted procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Republicans, who power the House majority, cancelled votes expected to instrumentality spot connected Thursday. The House volition statesman its August recess connected Wednesday afternoon, leaving connected the array a bid of planned legislative votes that were unrelated to Epstein.

"We tin some telephone for afloat transparency and besides support victims," Johnson said.

"And if you tally roughshod oregon you bash it excessively quickly, that's not what happens," helium said. "But I'm convinced that the DOJ is going to bash their job, the medication is going to bash their job, and we'll bash our job."

Johnson lashed retired astatine a chap Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, whom helium accused of trying to "bite" members of the GOP caucus by teaming up with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California connected a ballot to unit the DOJ to merchandise the Epstein files.

"I don't recognize Thomas Massie's motivation. I truly don't," Johnson fumed. "Thomas Massie could person brought his discharge petition anytime implicit the past 4 years of the Biden administration. He could person done that astatine immoderate time, and present he's clamoring arsenic if there's immoderate benignant of timeline connected it," Johnson continued.

"It's absorbing to maine that helium chose the predetermination of President Trump to bring this, to squad up with the Democrats and bring this discharge petition," the talker said.

The Trump administration, facing a beardown backlash implicit the Department of Justice's determination to renege connected a committedness to merchandise the Epstein and Maxwell lawsuit files, has taken respective steps to mitigate that disapproval successful caller days.

Attorney General Pam Bondi had DOJ lawyers past week inquire national judges to unseal the transcripts of expansive assemblage proceedings related to the transgression cases against Epstein and Maxwell.

On Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said helium was speaking with Maxwell's defence lawyer to spot if Maxwell "would beryllium consenting to talk with prosecutors" to spot if she "has accusation astir anyone who has committed crimes against victims."

Maxwell is serving a 20-year situation condemnation for crimes related to her obtaining and grooming girls for Epstein to sexually abuse. Epstein killed himself portion successful a New York national jailhouse successful August 2019, weeks aft helium was arrested connected kid enactment trafficking charges lodged by the DOJ during Trump's archetypal word successful the White House.

Blanche antecedently served arsenic a transgression defence lawyer for Trump erstwhile the president was indicted successful 4 abstracted cases aft ending his archetypal White House word successful January 2017.

Trump is simply a erstwhile person of Epstein, but the 2 men had a falling retired successful the mid-2000s.

A spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee told NBC News connected Tuesday that the sheet volition subpoena Maxwell "as expeditiously arsenic possible."

The commitee tin proceed doing enactment during the House's upcoming recess.