A revolt over the Jeffrey Epstein information by Republican management allies on the Home Guidelines Committee is giving Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) one of many trickiest conundrums of his Speakership thus far.
Members on the panel — typically known as the “Speaker’s Committee” in reference to it being a software of management — held up motion on a bunch of deliberate laws this week as a result of they have been petrified of Democrats forcing extra robust votes on releasing the Epstein information.
Democrats are attempting to power a vote on a bipartisan decision that might compel the publication of the information. Johnson’s hand-picked GOP Guidelines Committee members, in the meantime, are urgent him to deliver up an alternate, non-binding decision to launch the paperwork. Nevertheless it’s not clear that the GOP-crafted measure might garner sufficient help within the slim majority to move.
Stymied by the Epstein debate and unable to deliver up something however non-controversial payments underneath suspension of the principles due to the standstill, Home GOP leaders canceled votes that have been scheduled for Thursday — sending Home members residence for August recess at some point early.
In contrast to different fights throughout Johnson’s Speakership, the issue this time is not hardline conservatives within the Home Freedom Caucus, however relatively members who Johnson has counted on up to now to push his priorities by means of the Guidelines Committee and to the Home flooring.
Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Ind.), who sits on the Guidelines Committee, raised considerations with having to vote on the Democratic-led modification throughout a non-public assembly with management and different prime Home leaders on Monday, two sources instructed The Hill. She advocated for voting on the Republican decision or a distinct measure for transparency, one of many sources mentioned, which have key variations from the Democratic-crafted measure.
And whereas members of the hardline conservative Home Freedom Caucus who sit on the panel — particularly Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) — are additionally advocating for extra Epstein disclosures, a number of sources inform The Hill that it’s primarily considerations from different members holding up committee motion.
Johnson has publicly defended the holdup within the Guidelines Committee by saying that Republicans is not going to permit Democrats’ “political games.”
“We are not going to let them use this as a political battering ram. The Rules Committee became the ground for them to do that. We’re not going to allow them to engage in that charade anymore,” Johnson mentioned in a press convention on Tuesday.
However by acquiescing to his members’ calls for to stall deliberate Home motion over worry of the Democratic committee votes, Democrats are getting a win of their endeavor to squeeze Republicans on the problem and hold it — and GOP infighting — within the headlines.
Calls for from Guidelines Committee Republicans for a parallel different to Democratic amendments marks a stark departure from the conventional enterprise within the Home.
The traditional legislative recreation in Congress is for the minority celebration to attempt to power the bulk celebration into politically difficult votes, and the bulk celebration to dismiss these efforts — a dynamic that Republican strategist Brendan Buck, a former aide to former Audio system Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and John Boehner (R-Ohio), alluded to in a put up on X.
“Respectfully, Rs on the Rules committee need to toughen up a bit and vote down these amendments. That’s sort of your job,” Buck mentioned. “I promise you won’t lose your seat over a few procedural committee votes.”
The Speaker has the only real authority to nominate Republican members to the panel — and to take away them. One possibility for Johnson, if he have been to take a troublesome stance, is to exchange the members who’re nervous concerning the Epstein votes.
However Johnson, who has develop into identified for being exceedingly affected person with and sympathetic to all corners of the Home GOP, is letting the members take the stand for now — hoping that the upcoming August recess will create the time and area to resolve the Epstein points.
Requested about the potential for changing the Guidelines Committee members who’re holding up motion, Johnson instructed The Hill: “No, I haven’t considered that at all.”
“They serve at the Speaker’s request, and so long as they’re willing to volunteer for that service. It’s not an easy job. So we’ll see,” Johnson mentioned.
For now, Johnson is caught in a troublesome balancing act of weighing the eagerness amongst members to solid a vote in favor of releasing the Epstein paperwork, the outcry from the MAGA base, and his vested curiosity in placating Trump, who has urged GOP lawmakers to drop the matter — all whereas attempting to handle the Home flooring.
The Speaker is essentially deferring to the efforts by the Trump administration to supply transparency on the matter. Relenting to the outcry from the bottom, Trump final week directed Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi to hunt the discharge of grand jury transcripts within the Epstein matter. And the Division of Justice on Tuesday mentioned it might search new data from Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s ex-girlfriend and confederate.
Between these actions and the non-binding Epstein disclosure decision that the Guidelines Committee Republicans superior final week, leaders had hoped the now month-long Epstein drama might die down within the Home this week.
Johnson mentioned he wouldn’t deliver the non-binding decision up earlier than the August recess.
That’s peeving some Guidelines members. Norman, a Guidelines Committee member who’s a part of the Freedom Caucus, is overtly calling for a vote on the GOP-led decision.
“I led Republicans in a serious resolution — that protects victims — to expose the truth about the Epstein files, just like President Trump promised. But leadership is stalling,” Norman wrote on X on Tuesday. “The American people deserve action, not excuses. Let’s vote on it before August recess and get it DONE!!”
Nevertheless it’s unclear that might move within the razor-thin majority, given a number of Republicans throwing their help behind a bipartisan measure from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Their measure would have extra authorized weight to power launch of paperwork.
Massie and Khanna are planning to make use of the discharge petition measure, a procedural gambit to override management and power measures to the ground with 218 signatures. Discharge petitions are hardly ever profitable, however with 11 Republicans thus far in help of the measure, Massie and Khanna are projecting confidence that they’ll power the vote when the Home returns in September.
Johnson on Tuesday expressed his frustrations with Massie, who has develop into a prime GOP antagonist of Trump in Congress, for spearheading the push.
“I don’t understand Thomas Massie’s motivation, I really don’t. I don’t know how his mind works. I don’t know what he’s thinking. Thomas Massie could have brought his discharge petition any time over the last four and a half years,” Johnson mentioned, including the final word Southern dig: “Bless his heart.”
Requested what her panel was doing on Tuesday, Home Guidelines Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) instructed The Hill: “Nothing, right now.”
The holdup is irritating Republicans in different corners of the convention.
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), the lead sponsor of an immigration enforcement invoice that was scheduled to come back for a Home vote after being authorized by the Guidelines panel, expressed her disappointment that it was delayed over the Epstein drama.
“I do think that we do need to come to some sort of resolution, though, sooner rather than later. We cannot let this drag on,” Bice instructed reporters on Tuesday.
Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) lamented that the subject is taking away consideration from different GOP priorities.
“This is so myopic. We should be working on the things of trade, health care, all the things that matter rather than bringing out information which potentially and probably will damage a bunch of absolutely innocent lives,” Murphy mentioned.
