Jeffrey Epstein battle set to reignite in Congress

Source: msn/The Hill

11h


The Capitol Hill battle over Jeffrey Epstein is poised to heat up when Congress returns to Washington next month. While GOP leaders left town early to avoid the radioactive issue, the conspiracy-ridden saga is set to ramp back up come September for a number of reasons. A bipartisan pair of lawmakers have vowed to force a vote on their resolution requiring the administration to release the federal files it’s withholding and plan to bring survivors of Epstein’s abuse to Capitol Hill in the first days of Congress’s return. Separately, a number of court cases surrounding the fate of those files could reach a resolution in the coming weeks.

The House Rules Committee, which was brought to a standstill in July over Democratic efforts to force votes on the Epstein affair, will likely be compelled to revisit the issue if Republicans want to move any piece of their legislative agenda next month. And bipartisan motions in the House Oversight and Government Committee that forced Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) to issue a flurry of subpoenas related to the Epstein matter could reignite public interest in the saga.

All of this is likely to create new headaches for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his leadership team, who want to move beyond fights over Epstein when they return to Washington to face another tough task — funding the government to avoid an Oct. 1 shutdown.

“I don’t think it’s going to go away,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said of the Epstein issue. “Maybe our leadership thinks that sticking their head in the sand and running out of town was the right decision. … Once we go back into session, I think this picks up where it left off.” Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) are fighting to make sure that happens.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/jeffrey-epstein-battle-set-to-reignite-in-congress/ar-AA1KvIPc