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Axios
5 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Mike Johnson on the Epstein case: "It's not a hoax"
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday he wants "full transparency" in the Jeffrey Epstein files and the case is "not a hoax." Why it matters: Johnson's comments to CBS News on the late convicted child sex offender's case are in notable contrast to President Trump's position on the matter. The president has repeatedly described the case as a "hoax," as pressure builds on his administration to release more files after it concluded there's no evidence of an Epstein "client list" nor that the disgraced financier's 2019 death in a New York prison cell was anything other than suicide. Driving the news: "It's not a hoax. Of course not," Johnson said after CBS' Major Garrett asked him to clarify the matter. "There are real victims here," said Johnson, noting the issue was a delicate one. "I tried to explain in my press conference this week, man, we want full disclosure. If I had these things in my possession, I would have put them out a long time ago, but I would also have been very careful to protect the innocent," he added. State of play: Johnson last week joined the chorus of Trump-friendly voices urging the administration to release the Epstein files. The speaker has also faced scrutiny after the House left a day early for a five-week summer recess after tensions erupted over efforts to force the release of the files. Just before the recess, a Republican-led House subcommittee on Wednesday passed a Democrat's motion to subpoena the DOJ's documents on Epstein. "We want full transparency," Johnson said on CBS' "The Takeout with Major Garrett." "We want everybody who is involved in any way with the Epstein evils — let's call it what it was — to be brought to justice as quickly as possible. We want the full weight of the law on their heads."
New York Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Speaker Johnson: Epstein drama ‘not a hoax,' Congress wants ‘full transparency'
House Speaker Mike Johnson has insisted that the drama surrounding the case of late child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein 'is not a hoax' and that lawmakers want to see justice for the victims as he grapples with a growing firestorm over the issue. 'We want full transparency,' Johnson (R-La.) told CBS News' 'The Takeout with Major Garrett' Wednesday. 'We want everybody who is involved in any way with the Epstein evils — let's call it what it was — to be brought to justice as quickly as possible.' 'We want the full weight of the law on their heads.' Advertisement A weeks-long controversy has roiled Trump's MAGA movement after the Justice Department and FBI concluded in a July 6 memo that Epstein most likely killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell and didn't have an 'incriminating client list' of rich and powerful people who took part in sex with girls as young as 14. The conclusion has caused headaches for Johnson after House Democrats won over several Republicans in a push to publicly release the full case file. 3 House Speaker Mike Johnson said he hasn't seen the Jeffrey Epstein evidence in question. REUTERS Advertisement 3 Interest in Jeffrey Epstein was revived after a DOJ and FBI memo this week kicked up a firestorm and demands within MAGA world for more transparency. AP On Monday, the House Rules Committee — the lower chamber's gatekeeper for most legislation that gets a floor vote — was forced to adjourn by Republicans who wanted to short-circuit a Democratic effort to force the disclosure of the Epstein files. Johnson then opted to send lawmakers home to their districts Wednesday for the August recess — one day ahead of schedule — due to the House floor effectively being frozen over the Epstein revolt. President Trump has seethed at the controversy, calling out 'past' supporters as 'weaklings' for buying into the 'hoax.' Advertisement 'It's not a hoax. Of course not,' Johnson told Garrett. 3 House Speaker Mike Johnson has been careful not to break with President Trump on the Jeffrey Epstein ordeal. Getty Images 'I've never seen the Epstein evidence; it wasn't in my lane, but I had the same concerning questions that a lot of people do,' he later added. Rank-and-file lawmakers are pushing Johnson to hold a vote to compel the release of outstanding documents once the House returns from its recess Sept. 2. Advertisement Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are pursuing a discharge petition — a legislative technique to force a vote on a bill without the speaker's blessing — to that effect. Meanwhile, Trump has announced his support for the release of grand jury testimony in the cases against Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. On Thursday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell and her legal team in Tallahassee, Fla. to discuss the case. Additionally, the GOP-led House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Maxwell for testimony, with an interview tentatively set for Aug. 11.
