Mike Johnson seeks to gloss over divisions with Trump over Epstein files

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The controversy surrounding the Epstein saga exploded this month after Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) released an unsigned memo asserting the government has no evidence that Epstein maintained a “client list” or attempted to blackmail powerful figures who might have committed crimes with minors.

The memo directly contradicted claims made by some of Trump’s most loyal followers inside and outside of government, who have maintained for years that Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking network included wealthy, powerful figures in the public and private sectors alike and that the government was covering up the details of the case to protect those “elites.”

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Stoking the clash has been Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul and onetime Trump ally who has asserted that Trump doesn’t want the Epstein files released for a simple reason: because he’s implicated within them.

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Amid the outcry, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has frequently clashed with Trump, introduced a procedural measure designed to force a House vote on legislation requiring the DOJ to release the files. It’s unclear if the resolution, known as a discharge petition, will secure the 218 signatures needed to force that vote, but at least one other high-profile Republican, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), has already signaled her support.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5404411-trump-mike-johnson-jeffrey-epstein-files/