House Speaker Mike Johnson backtracks on his push for Epstein files release saying Trump needs ‘space'
'We need the administration to have the space to do what it is doing,' Speaker Johnson told reporters at the Capitol on Monday when pushed on whether he would be holding a vote in the House of Representatives on releasing all documents pertaining to the late billionaire pedophile held by the Justice Department.
'If further congressional action is necessary or appropriate, then we'll look at that,' Johnson said, adding that there would be no such vote before the House breaks for its six-week summer vacation on Thursday.
'I don't think we're at that point yet, because we agree with the president.'
The speaker implied that his concerns had been allayed for now by Trump's move to authorize Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the unsealing of grand jury testimony from Epstein's prosecution, a position that may not be shared by the Republican's MAGA base, which has demanded full disclosure on the sex trafficker.
The president's supporters, scenting a conspiracy, were dismayed by the FBI and Justice Department's announcement two weeks ago that they had concluded there was no Epstein 'client list' of his influential friends and enablers and that the New Yorker had died by suicide in jail in August 2019.
'There is no daylight between the House Republicans, the House and the president on maximum transparency,' Johnson said. 'He has asked the attorney general to request the grand jury files of the court; all of that is in process.'
All of which provides a marked contrast to the comments he made on Benny Johnson's The Benny Show podcast last week, when Johnson told the host: '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.'
Since succeeding the ousted Kevin McCarthy in October 2023, Johnson has had a close relationship with Trump and done much to force through his agenda, notably his 'Big, Beautiful Bill' earlier this month, which overcame widespread GOP opposition to reach the president's desk despite concerns about its likely impact.
As the president scrambles to pivot the national conversation away from his past friendship with Epstein, other members of his conservative coalition are likely to prove much harder to appease than Johnson.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on social media on Monday: 'If you tell the base of people, who support you, of deep state treasonous crimes, election interference, blackmail, and rich powerful elite evil cabals, then you must take down every enemy of The People.
'If not. The base will turn and there's no going back. Dangling bits of red meat no longer satisfies. They want the whole steak dinner and will accept nothing else.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why Congress has closed early for summer amid Trump-Epstein discourse
House Speaker Mike Johnson halted House proceedings to block Democratic attempts to force the release of files related to sex trafficking financier Jeffrey Epstein. Johnson accused Democrats of weaponising the Rules process, while this action occurred amidst ongoing criticism of Donald Trump's handling of promised Epstein file disclosures. The procedural halt risks the House's ability to pass crucial spending bills before the August recess, potentially leading to a government shutdown upon their return. Republicans faced disarray following a Justice Department memo stating no further Epstein disclosure was warranted and a report alleging a birthday card from Donald Trump to Epstein, which Donald Trump denied and sued over. A bipartisan discharge petition, led by Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, is gaining traction to force a floor vote on the Epstein files, bypassing committee processes, with the vote expected in September after the recess.
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Police deny wrongdoing in death of Alabama man, dispute family's account
Police officers in Alabama who were involved in the arrest of a man who died while handcuffed were not at fault, officials said, disputing an account from the man's family who are calling for the officers to be charged. Police employed no excessive force in the events leading up to the August 2024 arrest and death of Phillip Reeder, 52, the City of Irondale and its police department said in a joint statement late Monday. The Birmingham suburb's announcement came hours after attorneys for Reeder's family shared a county coroner's report that said Reeder's death was a homicide caused by a 'combination of his heart disease, cocaine, injuries, and exertion from the altercation' with police. Attorneys for the family said an police officer kneeled on Reeder's neck and compared what happened to Reeder with what happened to George Floyd in 2020 — an incident that captured the country's attention and renewed scrutiny of police practices. Reeder was white; Floyd was Black. In autopsies, the term homicide has a medical definition that is different from a criminal one. In a medical context, homicide means that a death is caused at the hands of another person, but does not necessarily mean someone is criminally guilty. Both the police department and Reeder's wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, agree that police officers were dispatched to a local highway just after 5 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2024, after multiple 911 complaints of a man behaving erratically and running into traffic. Reeder continued to run in the road, shouting, when officers approached him, ignoring 'multiple commands to comply,' the city statement said. Officers then shocked Reeder with a Taser, saying he 'posed a danger to himself and others.' After officers handcuffed him, 'Mr. Reeder continued to struggle and resist for almost two minutes,' the statement read. Officers used their arms to restrain Reeder, it said, but 'No knee was placed in the back of his neck, and no excessive force was used.' The statement emphasized that Reeder had a history of 'hypertensive heart disease,' which the coroner said contributed to his death. The statement underscored the portion of the autopsy that said 'the blunt force injuries alone would not account for Mr. Reeder's death." It also said that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the state agency tasked with investigating the incident, found no wrongdoing and that the Jefferson County District Attorney didn't see evidence 'sufficient for criminal charges' against the officers involved. Reeder's wife, Sandra Lee Reeder, offered an account Monday that was starkly different. She and her attorney say they saw body camera footage of the incident on July 18, after almost a year of asking the city and police department for more information on Reeder's death. The video showed 'no attempt from the Irondale police officers to talk Phillip down," Reeder's wife said at a news conference. She said that her husband was unarmed and was suffering from a mental health crisis. Sandra Lee Reeder said an officer put a knee on Reeder's neck for approximately three minutes after he was shocked with the Taser. She said her husband can be heard saying 'I can't breathe' three times while he was restrained. The body camera footage has not been released publicly because of an Alabama law that governs release of police recordings. The law says an agency may choose to not disclose a recording to the public if it would affect an active law enforcement investigation, but does not require an agency to provide a reason for denying a request. Reeder's family attorney, Roderick Van Daniel, has urged authorities to release the bodycam video to the public. ___ Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. She is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Teddi Mellencamp reveals what saved her from home intruders in terrifying ordeal amid stage four cancer battle
Teddi Mellencamp revealed that her state-of-the-art security system was able to repel the burglars who targeted her mansion amid her stage four cancer battle. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 44, was first diagnosed with melanoma in 2022 and revealed in April that the cancer had advanced to stage four, having metastasized to her lungs and brain—a progression her doctors initially failed to detect. Following the discovery of tumors in her brain and lungs, she began a series of intensive treatments, including surgery, radiation, and immunotherapy. Amid her ongoing health battle, Mellencamp is also navigating personal upheaval, including a recent breakup and her divorce from estranged husband Edwin Arroyave, with whom she shares three children. On Monday, two individuals attempted to enter the Encino, CA property she shares with Arroyave, according to TMZ. The following day she issued a statement on her Insta Stories, confirming that no one was hurt in the attempted burglary and divulging how the robbers were stopped. 'We are grateful that everyone is unharmed. While we are shaken, we are fortunate to have the latest in home security systems which scared off the intruders,' she wrote. 'Authorities were alerted and swiftly responded. We appreciate everyone's heightened concern in light of recent criminal activities in our area, but we are safe.' Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that police responded to a burglary call and rushed to the scene. By the time officers arrived, the suspects had already fled. Authorities believe the individuals had just burglarized a neighboring home before attempting to break into Teddi's property. In August 2020, Teddi bought the impressive 8,550-square-foot estate for $6.5 million. Listed through Mauricio Umansky's The Agency, the home features seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a home theater, a basketball court, and numerous luxury amenities. This residence sits farther from Beverly Hills compared to her previous Hollywood Hills property, which she purchased in 2018 for $4.07 million. The attempted burglary follows Teddi's revelation in a conversation with former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star Kyle Richards about why she never requested the scans that might have allowed doctors to detect the cancer's spread sooner. 'When you go to a doctor, you just assume that's it. I'm doing what I'm supposed to do,' she confessed in an interview with Kyle for Glamour. 'At first, I didn't even really do the research on melanoma because I didn't want to know all of the bad things. But there's a difference between self-diagnosing yourself and being an advocate for your own health,' she argued. 'I never really thought about it because I was like, I go to a doctor every three months. Why wouldn't they get me checked?' Teddi recalled. Her advice for others is 'that you've got to plan ahead of time. You don't need to wait until you're sick to do things like life insurance. Have those hard conversations with your family, because you never know when it's going to come.' She urged fans further to 'trust your gut instinct. There was a long time that I wasn't feeling well and didn't go to the doctor. I thought I had migraines, I thought I was going through menopause. I had self-diagnosed myself with 500 things.' Her recent post follows news that Teddi ended her relationship with boyfriend Ricci Rea, recognizing that her current health challenges leave her without the energy to maintain a romantic relationship. Last month, exclusively spotted her sharing a close moment with a new boyfriend, which she later confirmed publicly. Meanwhile, her estranged husband Edwin has remained a source of support during her health battle, though the couple has made it clear that their divorce proceedings are ongoing.
