House stymied as Speaker Johnson's handpicked committee rebels over Epstein

Yahoo

4 days ago

A rebellion over the Jeffrey Epstein files by Republican leadership allies on the House Rules Committee is giving Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) one of the trickiest conundrums of his Speakership so far.
Members on the panel — often called the 'Speaker's Committee' in reference to it being a tool of leadership — held up action on a host of planned legislation this week because they were terrified of Democrats forcing more tough votes on releasing the Epstein files.
Democrats are trying to force a vote on a bipartisan resolution that would compel the publication of the files. Johnson's handpicked GOP Rules Committee members, meanwhile, are pressing him to bring up an alternative, nonbinding resolution to release the documents. But it's not clear that the GOP-crafted measure could garner enough support in the slim majority to pass.
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Stymied by the Epstein debate and unable to bring up anything but noncontroversial bills under suspension of the rules because of the standstill, House GOP leaders canceled votes scheduled for Thursday — sending House members home for August recess one day early.
Unlike other fights during Johnson's Speakership, the problem this time isn't hard-line conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus, but rather members Johnson has counted on in the past to push his priorities through the Rules Committee and to the House floor.
Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Ind.), who sits on the Rules Committee, raised concerns with having to vote on the Democratic-led amendment during a private meeting with leadership and other top House leaders Monday, two sources told The Hill. She advocated for voting on the Republican resolution or a different measure for transparency, one of the sources said, which have key differences from the Democratic-crafted measure.
And while members of the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus who sit on the panel — namely Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) — are also advocating for more Epstein disclosures, multiple sources tell The Hill it is primarily concerns from other members holding up committee action.
Johnson has publicly defended the holdup in the Rules Committee by saying Republicans will not allow Democrats' 'political games.'
'We are not going to let them use this as a political battering ram. The Rules Committee became the ground for them to do that. We're not going to allow them to engage in that charade anymore,' Johnson said in a press conference Tuesday.
But by acquiescing to his members' demands to stall planned House action over fear of the Democratic committee votes, Democrats are getting a win in their endeavor to squeeze Republicans on the issue and keep it — and GOP infighting — in the headlines.
Demands from Rules Committee Republicans for a parallel alternative to Democratic amendments marks a stark departure from the normal business in the House.
The normal legislative game in Congress is for the minority party to try to force the majority party into politically tricky votes, and the majority party to dismiss those efforts — a dynamic that Republican strategist Brendan Buck, a former aide to former Speakers Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and John Boehner (R-Ohio), alluded to in a post on the social platform X.
'Respectfully, Rs on the Rules committee need to toughen up a bit and vote down these amendments. That's sort of your job,' Buck said. 'I promise you won't lose your seat over a few procedural committee votes.'
The Speaker has the sole authority to appoint Republican members to the panel — and to remove them. One option for Johnson, if he were to take a tough stance, is to replace the members who are nervous about the Epstein votes.
But Johnson, who has become known for being exceedingly patient with and sympathetic to all corners of the House GOP, is letting the members take the stand for now — hoping the upcoming August recess will create the time and space to resolve the Epstein issues.
Asked about the possibility of replacing the Rules Committee members who are holding up action, Johnson told The Hill: 'No, I haven't considered that at all.'
'They serve at the Speaker's request, and so long as they're willing to volunteer for that service. It's not an easy job. So we'll see,' Johnson said.
For now, Johnson is stuck in a difficult balancing act of weighing the eagerness among members to cast a vote in favor of releasing the Epstein documents, the outcry from the MAGA base, and his vested interest in placating Trump, who has urged GOP lawmakers to drop the matter — all while trying to manage the House floor.
The Speaker is largely deferring to the efforts by the Trump administration to offer transparency on the matter. Relenting to the outcry from the base, Trump last week directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury transcripts in the Epstein matter. And the Department of Justice said Tuesday it would seek new information from Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's ex-girlfriend and accomplice.
Between those actions and the nonbinding Epstein disclosure resolution the Rules Committee Republicans advanced last week, leaders had hoped the now monthlong Epstein drama may die down in the House this week.
Johnson said he would not bring the nonbinding resolution up before the August recess.
That's peeving some Rules members. Norman, a Rules Committee member who is part of the Freedom Caucus, is openly calling for a vote on the GOP-led resolution.
'I led Republicans in a serious resolution — that protects victims — to expose the truth about the Epstein files, just like President Trump promised. But leadership is stalling,' Norman wrote Tuesday on X. 'The American people deserve action, not excuses. Let's vote on it before August recess and get it DONE!!'
But it's unclear that could pass in the razor-thin majority, given several Republicans throwing their support behind a bipartisan measure from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Their measure would have more legal weight to force release of documents.
Massie and Khanna are planning to use the discharge petition measure, a procedural gambit to override leadership and force measures to the floor with 218 signatures. Discharge petitions are rarely successful, but with 11 Republicans so far in support of the measure, Massie and Khanna are projecting confidence they can force the vote when the House returns in September.
Johnson on Tuesday expressed his frustrations with Massie, who has become a top GOP antagonist of Trump in Congress, for spearheading the push.
'I don't understand Thomas Massie's motivation, I really don't. I don't know how his mind works. I don't know what he's thinking. Thomas Massie could have brought his discharge petition any time over the last four and a half years,' Johnson said, adding the ultimate Southern dig: 'Bless his heart.'
Asked what her panel was doing Tuesday, House Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) told The Hill: 'Nothing, right now.'
The holdup is frustrating Republicans in other corners of the conference.
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), the lead sponsor of an immigration enforcement bill that was scheduled to come for a House vote after being approved by the Rules panel, expressed her disappointment it was delayed over the Epstein drama.
'I do think that we do need to come to some sort of resolution, though, sooner rather than later. We cannot let this drag on,' Bice told reporters Tuesday.
Rep. Gregory Murphy (R-N.C.) lamented that the topic is taking away attention from other GOP priorities.
'This is so myopic. We should be working on the things of trade, health care, all the things that matter rather than bringing out information which potentially and probably will damage a bunch of absolutely innocent lives,' Murphy said.
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