The moment the Trump administration stated there was no Epstein client list, you just knew the Democrats were going to pounce.
And pounce they did, but they were not alone, as at least one Republican joined in the call to have the records released in full
Well, Speaker Johnson (R-LA) is not playing those games, sending Congress on recess a few days early in the hopes that all of this will die down.
Democrats have never been interested in the Epstein files, likely because it was usually Democrats and their donors who were always associated with Epstein.
So, as was easily predictable, when the narrative was pushed that Trump was burying the report to protect himself, Democrats pounced.
For example, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) stated, “What a fitting end to these six months of Republican control in Washington.
“Instead of doing their jobs — instead of standing up for kids, for families, instead of standing on the side of transparency and accountability — Republicans are running away, all to avoid the release of the Epstein client list, all to cover up for pedophiles.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Trump have been exchanging blows since the beginning of this administration, so it was no surprise to see him go after Trump on this.
Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) teamed up to demand that the files be released in full, not select files that Attorney General Pam Bondi selected.
Massie and Khanna plan on using a discharge position, which would enable them to override House leadership to get the resolution on the floor.
Trump immediately went after Massie, posting, "Thomas Massie, the worst Republican congressman and an almost guaranteed NO VOTE each and every time, is an Embarrassment to Kentucky. Looking for someone good to run against this guy, someone I can Endorse and vigorously campaign for!"
Speaker Johnson decided to end this before it could really get started, choosing to send the House on recess a few days early to block this effort.
In justifying the move, Johnson stated, “There is no daylight between the House Republicans, the House and the president on maximum transparency. [President Trump] has said that he wants all the credible files relating to Epstein to be released. He’s asked the attorney general to request the grand jury files of the court. All of that is in process right now.
“My belief is we need the administration to have the space to do what it is doing.”
Trump is now fighting yet another court battle to have relevant grand jury files released, which was just blocked. In the overall scheme of things, I don’t personally care if they release the files, but if they do, I believe it should be all the files, not just files hand-picked by Bondi to be released. Anything short of that will have Dems pitching a conspiracy.
