House Speaker Mike Johnson blasted a bipartisan push to vote on the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein files as “reckless.”
Johnson made the comments while addressing reports that he adjourned the House early July 22 to avoid the vote.
The House of Representatives will return from its recess in September.
“House Republicans insist upon the release of all credible evidence and information related to Epstein in any way,” Johnson told NBC News’ Meet the Press host Kristen Welker on Sunday. However, Johnson said the House Republicans are also “insisting” upon the “protection of innocent victims.”
Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) on July 15 in an effort to force the House to vote to release all information on Epstein, including the convicted sex offender’s alleged “client list.”
“We all deserve to know what’s in the Epstein files, who’s implicated, and how deep this corruption goes,” Massie said in a press release announcing the effort. “Americans were promised justice and transparency. We’re introducing a discharge petition to force a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on releasing the complete files. If your Representative won’t sign the discharge petition, ask why.”
The effort has 11 Republican co-sponsors, including MAGA figureheads Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tim Burchett, Lauren Boebert. In addition to Khanna, Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were among the Democrats to also sign on as co-sponsors.
Host Welker pointed out that the timing of Johnson’s adjournment of the House fed in to rumors he is looking to stall the vote.
Johnson answered, “Our concern is that the Massie and Khanna discharge petition is reckless in the way that it is drafted and presented. It does not adequately include those protections.”
During a news conference after adjourning the House, Johnson gave a more curt response over why he decided to cut the week’s legislative business short. “We’re done being lectured on transparency,” he said, The New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, Trump admitted that he could pardon convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, 63, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
“It’s something I haven’t thought about,” Trump said. “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.”
Johnson told Welker that pardoning Maxwell would give him “great pause.”
“If you’re asking my opinion, I think 20 years was a pittance. I think she should have a life sentence at least. I mean, think of all these unspeakable crimes,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to put into words how evil this was, and that she orchestrated it and was a big part of it, at least under the criminal sanction, I think is an unforgivable thing. So again, not my decision, but I have great pause about that, as any reasonable person would.”
Maxwell, long believed to be Epstein’s keeper of secrets, was spotted leaving an interview with the Department of Justice with a mysterious box last week.
The Daily Beast contacted the White House for comment.
