Speaker Johnson announces early shutdown of the House to avoid Epstein drama

House Speaker Mike Johnson is shutting down the House early and avoiding a vote on releasing the Epstein files.

The speaker accused Democrats of playing politics with the files in an attempt to hurt President Donald Trump. It is notable that the left did not seem to care very much about anything Epstein-related until Trump’s base started complaining about the official DOJ/FBI determination that the financier’s death was a suicide, and there was no client list. There was no push to release the Epstein files from Democrats under former President Joe Biden.

The early shutdown will prevent a vote on the resolution that would compel the release of more documents related to the scandal.

“We’re not going to play political games with [Epstein],” Johnson said during a presser on Tuesday.

He also mentioned Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, who has long pushed for more government transparency, particularly on this matter.

“I’m not quite certain what his strategy is,” the speaker said, calling for “space” for the administration to figure out what is “credible” and worthy of being released.

“There’s no daylight between the White House and the House. You have to allow the legislation to ripen and you also have to allow the administration the space to do what it is doing,” he urged. “There’s no purpose for Congress to push an administration to do something that they’re already doing.”

Johnson has previously called for “everything” to be made available to the American people for scrutiny.

“We should put everything out there and let the people decide. I agree with the sentiment that we need to — we need to put it out there.”

Despite having complete control of all branches of the government, somehow the Republican Party is still finding it difficult to get things done. Speaking specifically about their inability to pass a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government until the terms of an official budget could be agreed upon, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene took the GOP to task.

Greene put out a video showing her answering several questions about a range of issues, including her inter-party clash:

My answers to reporters on:

Where is Epstein transparency?

Another ridiculous CR deadline under Mike Johnson on September 30th. pic.twitter.com/k2O6YR1IOe

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) July 22, 2025

“Yes, I put it out on my social media. I’m not voting for September 30 CR. That is not what this majority should be about. Under Speaker Johnson’s leadership, we have had to vote on CR after CR after CR. I’ve only voted on one because President [Donald] Trump asked me to. That was earlier this year; but we have had the entire year to get our appropriations done and actually do our budget, our government funding. And it is an absolute failure to ask us to vote on a September 30 CR, and I’m not doing it.”

“And if anyone doubts that I will hold my vote, then they need to look at the fact that I was the only Republican that was a no vote on the rule last week; and I voted no on the Genius Act because it opened a backdoor to a central bank digital currency. It’s up to Speaker Johnson to get our appropriations done and that’s what this conference meeting needs to be about; and the American people deserve that,” the congresswoman added.

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to BizPac Review.

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