Johnson calls Epstein files a 'shiny object' for Democrats amid government shutdown

WASHINGTON (CN) — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday accused Democrats of wielding the Jeffrey Epstein files as a political cudgel against President Donald Trump and as a distraction from the ongoing government shutdown.

And despite accusations from Democrats that his Republican colleagues have fought to slow-walk the release of information related to the infamous sex trafficker, Johnson repeated his contention that the GOP was working “around the clock” to see justice served while protecting Epstein’s victims.

The Epstein files — a trove of documents related to the government’s investigation of the late financier and convicted pedophile — have proven a potent political issue after Trump administration officials walked back plans to make them public. Democrats have seized on the about-face, claiming that the move was evidence that the documents implicated Trump, who had a relationship with Epstein in the 1990s.

In the House, Democrats and some Republicans have partnered to bring forward a petition that would force a vote on a measure demanding the White House release the Epstein files. The petition currently sits at 217 of 218 required signatures. Newly elected Arizona Representative Adelita Grijalva is expected to be the final signatory once sworn in.

Republican leadership on Capitol Hill has been largely resistant to efforts to publish the government’s Epstein documents, framing them as a Democratic political ploy. And during a news conference Tuesday, Johnson unloaded on Democrats and even some of his own party members who have pushed hard on the issue.

“Congressional Democrats are rudderless right now,” said the House speaker. “They’re utterly lost as a party, and everybody can see it — so what are they doing? They see a shiny object, and they latch onto it.”

Johnson complained that Democrats had not clamored for the release of Epstein files during the Joe Biden administration, and that they now “feign outrage” over the documents because they believe their release would be damaging to Trump and Republicans.

The top House Republican for months has maintained that he and his party are interested in publishing the Epstein files, but has urged his colleagues to be patient, reasoning that lawmakers needed to carefully review the documents to ensure the late sex trafficker’s victims were adequately protected. And Johnson on Tuesday pointed to the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing Epstein inquiry, contending that Republicans were already releasing significant amounts of information.

The Oversight Committee’s probe so far has released thousands of pages of documents related to the government’s Epstein investigation. Much of that information, however, had either been previously reported or included in other public releases. The panel has also conducted interviews with former Attorney General Bill Barr and former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta in connection with the Epstein case.

Johnson, who has long criticized the bipartisan discharge petition languishing in the House, argued that the committee’s probe rendered the proposed measure moot. He claimed that the investigation accomplished what the discharge petition sought “and much more.”

“Unfortunately, some Democrats, and sadly even a couple of Republicans, have tried to make this a political issue,” said the House speaker. Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie and Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene are among the Republican lawmakers who have backed the discharge petition.

Kentucky Representative James Comer, chairman of the Oversight Committee, accused Democrats on Tuesday of distracting from the protracted government shutdown by “pushing a false narrative” about Trump’s connection to Epstein.

“Let me be clear, no one is protecting Epstein or his associates,” said Comer.

A message from Trump to Epstein appeared in a scrapbook compiled by the late sex trafficker’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell for his 50th birthday. The missive, published by the Oversight Committee alongside the rest of the so-called “birthday book” last month, bears the president’s signature. The White House has vehemently denied that the message came from Trump.

Speaking to reporters following Tuesday’s news conference, Comer said that the committee’s interviews with Barr and Acosta had debunked claims from Democrats that Trump is implicated in Epstein’s crimes.

“[T]hey both exonerated Trump,” said the panel chairman. “I think they’re trying to create a narrative that Trump has some liability, that Trump is covering up for people, and that’s not what we’ve found. We’re being transparent.”

Comer added that he “fully” expected to meet with former President Bill Clinton for an interview about his association with Epstein. He explained that the ongoing government shutdown was complicating efforts to schedule that meeting.

The Kentucky Republican also said that he had seen no evidence that Clinton had been involved in any wrongdoing, pointing out that Barr told lawmakers in his interview that he hadn’t seen evidence implicating either Clinton or Trump.

“But I think Bill Clinton should come in and answer some questions,” said Comer. “Trump has answered a lot of questions from the media about Epstein. I don’t recall Clinton answering any questions about Epstein.”

While the Oversight Committee continues its Epstein probe, the proposed discharge petition that would force the release of government files remains on ice. Johnson so far has refused to call in the House to swear in Grijalva — though the House speaker has repeatedly insisted the delay has nothing to do with her deciding vote on the Epstein files measure.

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