Speaker Johnson refuses to allow Epstein vote as House set to recess early [View all]

Source: Associated Press

Speaker Johnson refuses to allow Epstein vote as House set to recess early

By STEPHEN GROVES and LISA MASCARO
Updated 12:28 PM EDT, July 22, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is rebuffing pressure to act on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, instead sending members home early for a month-long break from Washington after the week’s legislative agenda was upended by Republican members who are clamoring for a vote.

Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said Tuesday morning that he wants to give the White House “space” to release the Epstein information on its own, despite the bipartisan push for legislation that would require more records to be released.

“There’s no purpose for the Congress to push an administration to do something they’re already doing,” Johnson said at his weekly press conference, his last before lawmakers depart Washington on Wednesday for their traditional August recess.

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The speaker’s stance seemed unlikely to satisfy many GOP members who are threatening to support a bipartisan bill meant to pry information from the Justice Department. Even before Johnson spoke, a Republican-controlled subcommittee of the powerful House Committee on Oversight was advancing a resolution to subpoena Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, for a deposition.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/congress-jeffrey-epstein-trump-f2a03eca247268b14a9e38858338eded