House Republican leaders on Tuesday insisted there is nothing at all damning about President Donald Trump in the government’s files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein—but they still won’t release the files.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer—a Trump ally who is leading a so-called investigation into what is in the Epstein files—insisted there’s actually more incriminating information on Democrats in the files.
“The evidence we gathered does not implicate President Trump in any way,” Comer, who has every incentive to lie to protect Dear Leader, said at Tuesday’s news conference. “Public reporting, survivor testimony, and official documents show that Bill Clinton had far closer ties to Epstein.”
If that were the case, you’d think more House Republicans would want the files released.
And yet … nope.
House Speaker Mike Johnson took to the podium to slam Democrats and the handful of GOP lawmakers who are pushing for the Epstein files’ release, claiming that not releasing the files is meant to protect Epstein’s victims.
“Unfortunately, some Democrats and, sadly, even a couple Republicans have tried to make this a political issue,” Johnson complained. “They seem to be more interested in trying somehow to lay glove on the president than in securing justice for these victims. And I think that’s shameful.”
Of course, many of Epstein’s victims held a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in September where they urged Congress to release the files, so that excuse doesn’t hold up.
What’s more, if there is nothing in the files that would make Trump look bad, then Republicans like Johnson and Comer should be fine with their release.
But Johnson has kept the House on recess for more than a month in order to justify not swearing in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who is expected to be the final vote on a discharge petition that would force the chamber to vote on releasing the Epstein files.
Of course, recent reports say that Trump’s name is littered throughout the Epstein files. That makes sense given that Trump and the accused pedophile were once close friends. And Trump is insistent that the files—which he recently called a “hoax”—never see the light of day.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, shown in 2019.
Polls show large majorities Americans think the files should be released, and think the government is hiding something by not releasing them.
The fact that Republicans like Johnson and Comer are so hell-bent on keeping the files secret likely hardens those beliefs.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who, along with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, introduced the bill to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files, doesn’t believe Johnson’s insistence that the files shouldn’t be released.
Massie pointed to the fact that the Epstein files publicity has led the United Kingdom to take action against a member of the royal family who is allegedly involved in Epstein’s child sexual exploitation.
“First the British Ambassador lost his job and now the Prince lost his title. Don’t tell us there’s nothing in the Epstein files. The truth is coming out and we will not give up. Repost this and tag [Johnson] if you want him to quit delaying the vote,” Massie wrote in a post on X.
