Bipartisan pair say they will force House vote on Epstein tapes

A bipartisan pair of congressmen pushing for the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein say they will continue to press the issue when Congress returns from an extended summer break, keeping attention on a political land mine for top House Republicans.

“The release of the Epstein files is emblematic of what Trump ran for and why he got the populist vote,” Massie told Meet the Press’ Kristen Welker. “There seems to be a class of people beyond the law, beyond the judicial system, that operates outside of all of that. We all thought that, when Trump was elected, he would be the bull in the China shop and that he would break that up and bring transparency.”

When asked to respond to Speaker Johnson’s claims that Massie is a hypocrite in demanding the information be released now, Massie responded, “Not at all.”

“Politics is the art of the doable. There’s enough public pressure right now that we can get 218 votes and force this to a vote on the floor,” Massie continued. “Somebody should ask Speaker Mike Johnson, why did he recess Congress early so that he didn’t have to deal with the Epstein issue? He can bring this to the floor at any point, yet he’s chosen to send us home early for August recess.”

When asked if the president should pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been convicted of child sex trafficking and other offenses in connection to Epstein, Massie said that decision “should be up to the president,” but said if she could provide information that would help the inquiry, she should testify.

Khanna says he did not agree with a pardon for Maxwell, but did say he agreed with Massie that she should testify, despite her being indicted twice for perjury. With the house in recess until September, nothing can be brought to the floor until after Labor Day, at the earliest. Both Massie and Khanna seem positive that they’ll have the signatures to move forward with their efforts.

To succeed in their effort, Massie and Khanna need 218 signatures.