House speaker backs vote to release Epstein files, denies Trump link
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Mike Johnson backs a vote to release Epstein files, rejecting claims linking Trump to the case as Republicans clash over document transparency.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and the government shutdown on day 21 of the impasse, at the Capitol in Washington, on October 21, 2025 (AP)
US House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday he supports a vote to release Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein, arguing the move should silence allegations linking President Donald Trump to Epstein’s abuse and trafficking of underage girls.
“They're doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not,” Johnson said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. “Epstein is their entire game plan, so we're going to take that weapon out of their hands. Let's just get this done and move it on. There's nothing to hide.”
Trump and Epstein were previously photographed together, but Trump has long said the two had a falling out before Epstein’s later criminal convictions. Trump has also directed the Department of Justice to investigate prominent Democrats’ ties to the disgraced financier.
Republicans grow divided
The upcoming House vote on releasing Epstein files has exposed internal divisions among Republicans. Despite campaigning for more transparency in the past, Trump withdrew his support for Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday after she criticized GOP leadership, including on their handling of the Epstein documents.
Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, Greene reaffirmed her push for full disclosure. “I don't believe that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have done anything wrong,” she said, while adding she does not believe unreleased files will implicate Trump.
The dispute reflects competing narratives over whether the document release is driven by accountability or political positioning ahead of the coming election. Lawmakers expect further debate before the vote moves forward.
Congress pushes vote to release Epstein files
Trump is facing the prospect of a politically damaging congressional vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, after attempts by the White House to pressure two Republican congresswomen into withdrawing their support for the measure appeared to have failed.
The stalled effort leaves the American president increasingly exposed as both parties move closer to forcing disclosure of thousands of pages connected to the disgraced financier’s child sex-trafficking network.
The tipping point came this week after Representative Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona, was finally sworn in more than two months after winning a special election, a delay Democrats say was orchestrated by House Speaker Mike Johnson to deny the petition a majority. Her arrival gave supporters the necessary 218 signatures to compel a vote on releasing the files.
According to The New York Times on Saturday, the White House sought to convince two Republicans, Colorado’s Lauren Boebert and South Carolina’s Nancy Mace, to withdraw their signatures from the discharge petition. Trump personally invited Boebert to the White House, reportedly deploying Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to press her before issuing what the paper described as “vague threats.” The approach backfired. Boebert, sources told the newspaper, interpreted the pressure campaign as evidence of a possible effort to conceal the contents of the files and refused to change course.
Trump also attempted to reach Mace by phone. She later responded with a letter explaining her personal history of sexual abuse, writing that she could not, in good conscience, retract her support. She later stated publicly that “the Epstein petition is deeply personal.”
Their refusal, joined by Republican Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, has intensified pressure on Trump from within his own political base, many of whom have long demanded full transparency over the case.
