Latest news with #ThomasMassie
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP leaders submarined by Epstein uproar
House Republican leaders who have tried to contain the furor over the Jeffrey Epstein files lost their grip on the matter this week — and surrendered control of the wider operations of the lower chamber. A bonanza of subpoenas for Epstein-related materials and testimony erupted in the House Oversight Committee. A House Appropriations Committee markup was postponed amid threats of Democrats forcing more Epstein-related materials. And a rebellion on the House Rules Committee over Epstein amendments thwarted plans for House votes, prompting leaders to begin August recess one day early. Hanging over the whirlwind of a week is a discharge petition that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is vowing to spearhead for his bipartisan resolution — co-sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) — calling for the release of the Epstein files. The mechanism will not be ready for action until September, given the House's strict rules, meaning the Epstein saga will still be a live issue on Capitol Hill when lawmakers return from their August recess. Supporters of the effort say they have no plans to relent. 'I think it'll grow,' Massie said when asked if he thinks the Epstein controversy will still be of interest when the House returns in September. That prediction runs counter to the posture of House GOP leaders, who had hoped that the coming August recess would give the Epstein saga time to fade. The Speaker this week argued that the courts need time to work through the process, giving deference to the administration to release information on its own terms before the House compelled it to do so. In a sign of that position, House GOP leaders acquiesced to members of the House Rules Committee who wanted to avoid taking more votes on Democratic amendments on Epstein, putting the panel into an indefinite recess and delaying bills that were scheduled to come up for a full floor vote — though Johnson publicly said the move was to avoid playing Democrats' 'political games.' President Trump made an overture to members of the Rules Republicans at another White House event on Tuesday amid the drama, inviting a group of them into the Oval Office. But Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said that Trump thanked them for their work on the 'big, beautiful bill' of his tax cut and spending priorities without mentioning the Epstein holdup. Not every Rules panel member was there — with Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), one of those calling for more Epstein action by Republicans, saying he was not made aware of the gathering. While the moves made by Republicans were shocking, they were not surprising for some: Leaders had been warned that another Epstein eruption could be coming in other corners of the House. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said he had told Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) last week that if the House was in session this week, he would not be able to stop Republicans from making moves for more Epstein information. 'I told Speaker Johnson last week that if we were in session this week that Republicans on the Oversight Committee were going to move to be more aggressive and try to get transparency with the Epstein files,' Comer said on Thursday. Comer's full committee on Tuesday approved a motion from Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex offender and longtime Epstein associate. Johnson subsequently raised doubts about Maxwell's credibility and usefulness of her testimony. 'Can we trust what she's gonna say, even if she raises her hand and says that she'll testify under oath?' Johnson said. 'Is that something that can be trusted? You know, that's a reasonable question. Is that credible evidence?' Comer, bound by the rules of the committee, issued the Maxwell subpoena and hopes to depose her from prison on Aug. 11. But that wasn't all. On Wednesday, an Oversight subcommittee greenlit a motion from Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) to subpoena the Department of Justice on materials relating to Epstein — with three Republicans joining Democrats to approve the subpoena. Softening the blow from the Democratic motion, the subcommittee also approved by voice vote a motion from Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) to approve a swath of subpoenas to high profile former Democratic officials, including the former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who knew Maxwell and Epstein. 'I'm surprised that the Democrats went along with subpoenaing Bill and Hillary Clinton and others that were involved with that,' Comer said Thursday. 'I never thought we would be questioning the Clintons and others on — with respect to the Epstein files, but the Democrats voted in a bipartisan manner yesterday to do that.' The drama didn't end there. The House Appropriations Committee postponed a markup for a bill to fund the Justice Department and other agencies that had been scheduled for Thursday, as Democrats were planning to force more amendment votes on Epstein. A source told The Hill that Democrats were 'absolutely' going to bring more votes on Epstein amendments, adding: 'We think that may be one of the reasons they canceled.' Markups in the past have been shifted due to changes in the House calendar, and the Appropriations Committee noted that votes were canceled on Thursday when postponing the markup. The wave of action on Capitol Hill comes as the Trump administration is taking steps to try and quell the anger — but those efforts that are already running into roadblocks. Last week, President Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to move to release relevant grand jury transcripts from the Epstein case. On Wednesday, however, a federal judge in Florida declined that entreaty, rebuffing their attempt at releasing information from the Sunshine State's 2005 and 2007 federal investigations into Epstein. And this week, a top Justice Department official was expected to meet with Maxwell in Florida. Massie said the administration's efforts won't be enough to quell the outcry among GOP lawmakers. 'They're gonna do drips and drabs,' he said of the administration's attempts to release information, 'and so the drips and drabs aren't gonna get it done.' If that is the case, more House action could be on the horizon. Johnson said if the administration does not provide enough information, the chamber would take matters into their own hands come the fall. 'This information should have come out a long time ago,' Johnson told reporters in the Capitol on Wednesday. 'I've been an advocate of that, we all have. But that process is underway right now, and we've got to zealously guard that and protect it and make sure it's happening. And if it doesn't, then we'll take appropriate action when everybody returns here. But we have to allow the court process to play out, that's how it works.' NewsNation contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Epstein files divide House Republicans in growing 'summer of discontent'
William Shakespeare wrote about "the winter of our discontent" in Richard III. The line which follows that famous quotation suggests a grim winter morphed into a "glorious summer" and that "the clouds" are now "in the deep bosom of the ocean buried." Well, that "glorious summer" may have dissipated for House Republicans. 2025 is now the summer of discontent. The party is cleaved over the Epstein files. Or, as the Bard might say, "To release or not to release. That is the question." Many Republicans want the Epstein issue to disappear. But there's a cohort of conservative House Republicans – well tapped into the MAGA base – who are apoplectic that the Trump administration hasn't coughed up the files. That group of lawmakers represents a core component of the Trump coalition which prevailed last year. And it's growing more disaffected by the day. "I don't think this issue is going away over August," said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. "You don't lose your base over one single thing. But [President Donald Trump] is eroding his base. More importantly, if we don't take the right side of this issue, it's going to cost us votes in the midterms. People are becoming despondent. They're apathetic." Massie teamed several weeks ago with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to compel the House to vote to demand the release of the files. But that measure doesn't ripen until late this week. But if the House isn't in session… Democrats were more than happy to egg on the Epstein file effort – especially since some Republicans were upset with Johnson and how GOP leaders handled the issue. "I'm not quite certain what his strategy is," mused House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., about Massie. "I don't understand Thomas Massie's motivation. I really don't know how his mind works." But House GOP leaders cut the House loose a day earlier than planned for the five-and-a-half week "August recess." Johnson characterized August as "arguably the most important work month on our calendar" as Republicans try to meet with constituents and tout passage of the "big, beautiful bill." Johnson called releasing the Epstein files running "roughshod." By Wednesday, Johnson gaggled with the congressional press corps to combat the narrative that the House was letting out early to avoid dealing with the Epstein issue. "The published schedule of Congress was decided in December 2024. And it's been published ever since. We are fulfilling the calendar," said Johnson. But the House didn't convene for votes as scheduled on Thursday. And even some Republicans weren't buying Johnson's argument. "I guess we're getting tired of these two-hour work weeks up here," complained Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. "I'm sick of it. I came here to work." But the impasse over the Epstein files forced the House to scrap a bill by Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., to bolster penalties against persons who enter the U.S. illegally and are deported – and then try to come back. That's one of the reasons the House cashed out Thursday from the schedule. "I want to get some of these issues put to bed. Certainly the Epstein one seems to be the topic du jour. We've got to get past that," said Bice. "We have to come to some sort of resolution. Sooner rather than later. We cannot let this drag on." But with the House done, that subject – which should be a layup for House Republicans – will remain in abeyance until after the recess. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., didn't mind the House cutting town early. "We weren't going to do that much this week anyway," said Norman. But he pointed out how Democrats were suddenly championing the Epstein issue because the mischief put Republicans in a fix and potentially caused headaches for Trump. "The Democrats are trying to use this as a wedge issue This is the only thing they've got," said Norman. Massie said his resolution with Khanna would ripen for a vote when the House reconvenes in September. He suggested it would marinate under the hot, August sun. "Dogs don't bark at parked cars, right? This bill is moving. This is coming to a vote. We've got enough Republican co-sponsors of the bill. Twice as many as we need right now," said Massie. "We're going to force a vote on it. It's not going away." In fact, as the House tried to take its last votes until September, Rep. Summer Lee, D-Penn., sprang a vote on the House Oversight Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement, requiring a subpoena of the Epstein files. "I expect my Republican colleagues to care about this because their constituents certainly care about child sex trafficking, whether it's through the immigration system like this hearing alleges, or by a U.S. citizen facilitating other powerful U.S. citizens. It's time for them to prove it right now," said Lee. The Pennsylvania Democrat could read the room. Conservative Republicans interested in the Epstein files comprised the membership of the panel: Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., is the subcommittee chairman. Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.; Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; Brian Jack, R-Ga.; Nancy Mace, R-S.C.; Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; and Scott Perry, R-Penn., made up the rest of the GOP roster. The panel voted 8-2 to subpoena the Epstein files – but only after Perry amended Lee's plan by simultaneously issuing subpoenas for former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller, along with former Attorneys General Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, Bill Barr, Jeff Sessions, and Alberto Gonzales. In short, this isn't going away. The House Appropriations Committee scheduled a "markup session" for Thursday to prepare the annual Commerce, Justice and Science spending bill for the floor. But leaders abruptly canceled that meeting Wednesday night. Some of it was due to "exhaustion," as members have been lingering in Washington so long this summer. Some of it was because the House canceled votes. Appropriations Committee members didn't want to be in Washington. But the other component was the threat of Epstein-related amendments. So, they pulled the plug. This came after both Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., made a point of telling reporters that committees would still meet – even though the House canceled votes for the rest of the week. "We have nine or ten committees working through, markups this week. Many tomorrow," said Johnson on Wednesday. "We're going to have committee meetings through Thursday. And there's still a lot of work being done," said Scalise. "Most members know that the work of Congress is mostly done in committee." But not this time. Granted, the House Oversight Committee took closed-door testimony from former Biden administration Chief of Staff Ron Klain about President Joe Biden's cognitive abilities. But that was about it for the House. "Today marks the first day of the House embarking on their Epstein recess," declared Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "And already the story Republicans hoped would quietly fade is growing louder by the hour." "It's going to keep percolating," predicted Khanna. "This is just breathing more life." August is often a news vacuum. And so something has to fill the void. The Epstein files could be it. And that only fuels the summer of discontent.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump foe Thomas Massie wins over MAGA allies with his push for Epstein files
WASHINGTON — Once fighting a lonely battle against President Donald Trump, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie has found an issue that is winning him more Republican friends and political allies than he has had all year: his push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Many of Trump's MAGA allies on and off Capitol Hill are frustrated with Trump and top officials in his administration for dragging their feet in releasing the government's remaining documents and records related to Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. But they're rooting for Massie, who has leaned into the fight in recent weeks and made it his sole mission to get the files released. It is a rare issue on which Massie aligns more closely with many of Trump's own supporters than Trump himself. That's a big shift for Massie, a Kentucky conservative who was swimming against the current in his opposition to Trump's megabill by raising debt concerns that fell on deaf ears with other Republicans. Nearly a dozen House conservatives have signed on to Massie's resolution to defy Trump and force Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish 'all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials' that the Justice Department and FBI possess. Thirteen Democrats, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi of California and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have joined the effort, as well. 'I have the people on my side,' Massie told reporters, pointing to a CBS News/YouGov poll that found that 89% of U.S. adults want all of the Epstein files released. Republicans split evenly in the CBS poll when they were asked whether they're 'satisfied' or 'dissatisfied' with Trump's handling of the Epstein case. That's very unusual for Trump, who tends to win lopsidedly high marks from self-identified Republicans on his handling of issues. A recent Quinnipiac University poll also found the GOP split about evenly when it comes to Trump's handling of the Epstein matter. The CBS poll found that Trump's overall approval rating has fallen to 42% but that 89% of Republicans approve of the job he has done in his first six months back in office. Massie leans into confrontation with Trump Massie is boldly going where no other Republican in Congress dares go: running for re-election while leaning into a confrontation with Trump, who has threatened to support a primary challenger to oust him in the GOP contest. Massie told NBC News that Trump and his allies are wasting their time, vowing that their efforts to unseat him will not only fail but also backfire. 'They've spent $1.8 million against me so far in my congressional district. I think it's had very little effect, but they're trying to beat up on me to keep everybody else in line here. and I think it's not working,' Massie said. 'I think it's going to backfire tremendously.' 'They're wasting millions of dollars against me, and they're going to lose the majority because of that,' he said. 'I think it will embolden Republicans who are right now, quietly, agreeing with me but saying: 'I'm afraid of winning my primary. Let's see if you can win yours, Massie.'' Massie's confidence drew a clapback from Calvin Moore, a former House GOP campaign operative, who said on X, 'How'd that work out for [Bob Good?],' referring to the former Virginia congressman who lost his 2024 primary to a Trump-backed challenger. Massie's foray into the Epstein saga has also sparked a personal, very public row between him and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Johnson, a Trump loyalist, said Wednesday that 'Republicans stand for maximum transparency and truth' and are 'pushing for the release of all credible information' about the Epstein matter, but he added that Massie's Epstein resolution with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., would provide no protection for victims' identities. 'We have ... a moral obligation to protect people who have been the victims of these unspeakable crimes so that their names are not drug through the mud,' Johnson said. A day earlier, Johnson invoked Massie at his weekly news conference, showing unusual frustration and saying that he was baffled by Massie's motivation in the Epstein matter and that 'some people seem to enjoy trying to inflict political pain on their own teammates.' Massie later told reporters that introducing his Epstein resolution now would give his effort momentum over the House's five-week summer recess, which begins Thursday. He and Khanna, Massie said, plan to file a so-called discharge petition to force a vote on their resolution when the House returns in September if they can win support from 218 members. Then, in a midnight post on X, Massie shot back at Johnson: '@SpeakerJohnson, why are you running cover for an underage sex trafficking ring and pretending this is a partisan issue? MAGA voted for this.' Johnson's office didn't respond to a request for comment about Massie's post. Johnson has repeatedly said anyone who has committed sex crimes should be prosecuted. And Massie's effort has been elevated by some podcasters credited with boosting Trump in the 2024 election, including Theo Von, who recently said on X, 'Why cant we put the @RoKhanna @RepThomasMassie bill for a vote this week @SpeakerJohnson @JDVance??' Von also publicly questioned why Vance isn't standing by his earlier comment on Von's own show that 'we need to release the Epstein list; that is an important thing.' Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Cory Mills of Florida and Nancy Mace of South Carolina are among the Republicans who have signed on to the Massie-Khanna resolution. Massie also has an ally in Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a fellow self-described libertarian who describes Massie as a good friend. 'I'm a big supporter of his, and vice versa. I'm planning a 10-city tour with him in September to support him, and we will do what it takes. We both represent sort of the liberty wing of the Republican Party,' Paul said. 'We want to make sure that we don't allow anybody to come in and try to defeat him.' Paul is the only GOP senator who voted against Trump's megabill because of debt concerns, but, unlike Massie, he doesn't face re-election until 2028. Paul said he's 'very confident' Massie will beat a Trump-backed challenge. 'He's the most fiscally conservative member of the House. He's the most pro-gun member of the House, most pro-Bill of Rights person in the House,' Paul said. 'Good sense of humor, travels the district and is somebody who pays attention to his constituents. I think he'll do well.' This article was originally published on
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Senate even more afraid of Trump-Epstein fallout than Mike Johnson's House is: ‘We've got enough to do'
The House of Representatives broke for August recess a day earlier than expected on Wednesday after Speaker Mike Johnson shut the doors to block moves from Democrats seeking to disclose government files on sex-trafficking financier Jeffrey Epstein. Johnson had a very specific reason to dismiss the House early — a bipartisan discharge petition, which would allow them to force a vote on the release. 'I think it is to sort of try to let the air out of the balloon on the Epstein issue,' Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who teamed up with California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna on the effort, told The Independent. But if Johnson and House GOP leadership feared the end result of that discharge petition, the Senate does not want to deal with it at all. 'I hope we don't waste our time on that,' said Sen. John Cornyn. 'We've got enough to do,' the Texas Republican told The Independent Wednesday. Cornyn is not entirely wrong. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said that he wanted the Senate to cancel its August recess to confirm his nominees. The Senate also needs to begin to tee-up the spending bills to avoid a government shutdown in September. The Senate typically sees the House as childish and full of petty grievances. But there's another reason Cornyn, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, specifically would not want to be in the Trump-Epstein blast radius: he faces a potentially bruising primary challenge against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a hardline — albeit scandal-ridden — MAGA candidate. Any harsh questioning or a vote for the files would likely imperil Cornyn's reelection bid. But he's not the only Republican senator dodging the issue. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, noted that the Judiciary Committee brings the U.S. attorney general to testify annually. 'Now that, maybe that's not going to happen before September, so we're going to have these Epstein files,' he told The Independent. Grassley said he didn't know the next steps the courts would take, but the disclosures might lead to questions from the committee. On Wednesday, judges in Florida and New York rejected Department of Justice requests at the urging of Trump to unseal grand jury transcripts tied to Epstein, who was found dead by hanging in his New York City jail cell in 2019, in what has been ruled a suicide. This came after Trump had requested AG Pam Bondi unseal them after a Wall Street Journal report that he allegedly sent a bawdy hand-drawn message to Epstein for his 50th birthday party, a report Trump has denied and over which he filed a $10 billon lawsuit against the WSJ, parent company News Corp and founder Rupert Murdoch. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), another member of the Judiciary Committee, expressed some openness to having convicted Epstein accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell — who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for grooming girls and young women to be trafficked by her on-and-off boyfriend — testify before Congress. 'Whatever the bottom line is, I'm in favor of releasing it. So I think that, you know, DOJ ought to release everything that they possibly can, and I'm all for having Maxwell testify,' Hawley said. Hawley, a Yale-educated lawyer and archconservative, also suggested a joint committee made up of House members and senators. One of the few senators who has kept an eye on Epstein is Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). In 2017, Kaine grilled Alex Acosta, Trump's then-nominee to be labor secretary, about the time he was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and gave Epstein a lenient plea deal in 2008. Under the 2008 non-prosecution agreement, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. That allowed him to avert a possible life sentence, instead serving 13 months in a work-release program. 'Why was the sweetheart deal cut? I never understood that, and I never understood why President Trump nominated the guy who cut the sweetheart deal to be his cabinet secretary,' Kaine told The Independent. Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton's running mate against Trump in 2016, also expressed openness to Hawley's idea of a joint committee. 'I think a white House can shorten circuit, all that by just doing what they've said they're going to do, and releasing the files,' he said. Unsurprisingly, Republican Trump antagonist Sen. Thom Tillis of North carolina, who announced he would not seek re-election and told The Independent last week that the administration should 'release the damn files' said he wanted to see more. 'There was much made about it,' he told The Independent. 'So one of two things are true, not so much should be made of it. Or there things that we should probably know, as long as it doesn't harm the privacy of victims, people that are not actually involved in the investigation.' For now, the Senate will not have to worry about that, given the House is out. But it will be a looming question when the House returns.
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: Why Republicans can't hide from their Epstein problem
A remarkable scene is playing out in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday: In an effort to avoid votes on releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Republicans are shutting it down early and heading out on a weekslong August recess. Nevermind that the Trump administration promised to release these files, and many Republicans want them to do so. The day-early dismissal is rather transparently to avoid an issue that Trump wants no part of, buy themselves some time, and maybe even hope the issue just fades away. But the issue is showing no signs of quieting, with many Trump supporters continuing to press for more transparency over Epstein and the administration taking steps – albeit limited ones – to try to quell the unrest. Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky even predicted to CNN on Tuesday that the files would ultimately come out – either the easy way or the hard way. So what are the key pressure points here in forcing the issue? Comer, in his comments to Manu Raju, pointed to the looming threat of a discharge petition. This is an effort spearheaded by fellow Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie that would force the House to vote on releasing the Epstein files if 218 members – from a majority of the 435 districts – sign on. 'The president, by September, will surely have turned over everything,' Comer predicted. 'If things haven't been turned over by then, I think the Massie resolution will pass on the floor.' Discharge petitions are rarely successful in actually forcing votes on the underlying legislation – only about 4% of the time, according to the Brookings Institution – but the mere threat of them can force leaders to cut deals and act on similar measures. Thus far, Massie's discharge petition has the support of 12 House Republicans, including him. If nearly all of the House's 212 Democrats signed on, that could be enough to get it to 218. But there's a real question about whether these Republicans would actually follow through. Discharge petitions are provocative because they undercut leadership – and in this case would undercut Trump. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday criticized Massie for teaming with Democrats and not pushing a similar measure under the Biden administration. But he also made clear he was paying attention. 'So do I have some concern about that? I do,' Johnson said. He added: 'So let me just say about Thomas Massie: Could you just accept my Southern 'bless his heart?' OK? I don't know what else to say about it. We're for maximum transparency. We're engaging in that right now, and we don't need political games.' But these Republicans seem to be saying: We're ready to do this if you don't want to take the easy route. It's up to Johnson and Trump to try and call their bluff – to the extent it's actually a bluff. The House's move might seem like a great way to get away from the issue – to head home and let things settle. But home isn't always a great place for such things. We've seen over and over again how lawmakers departing Washington to interact with their constituents can inflame situations. The most significant recent example is the rise of the tea party starting in 2009, which really got its foothold during the August recess. Tense scenes also greeted Republicans during the first August recess of Trump's first term in 2017. Indeed, there is a long tradition of these periods serving as flashpoints, dating back decades. And just a few months ago, Republicans began urging their members not to hold town halls after some ugly scenes over the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts. We also know that Democratic-leaning voters are highly motivated right now. A CNN poll released last week showed 72% of them said they were 'extremely' motivated to vote in next year's midterm election; that was much higher than Republican-leaning voters (50%) and suggested Democratic-leaning voters were even more motivated than they were at the tail end of the 2024 presidential election. That suggests they could come out in force. But it might not just be Democrats forcing the issue over the August recess. Americans overall disapprove of Trump and his administration's Epstein actions by more than 3-to-1 margins in recent polls – by far his worst issue. The Republican base is unprecedentedly unhappy with Trump's handling of this. Even pro-Trump influencers are pressing for more. And this is an issue that would seem to motivate the most vocal portions of the GOP base. It remains to be seen how many Republicans will even hold town halls or public events. But if they don't, that will also be telling. And it's not difficult to see this becoming a powder keg. While the discharge petition effort is being led by some of the more unwieldy members of the House Republican Conference, they're not the only ones pressing for more Epstein information. Others are pushing for middle-ground congressional action that could at least keep the issue alive or pushing the administration hard to relent. Comer and Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee are pressing forward with an effort in the House Oversight Committee to subpoena Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. (The Trump administration signaled Tuesday that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will seek a separate interview with Maxwell.) Both Comer and Burchett suggested they're acting independently of Trump. 'I know that President Trump has said he's going to release all the information they have,' Comer said. (Trump has not, in fact, said this.) 'But we have members that want to go a little bit further, be a little more aggressive.' Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio told CNN this week that Bondi, who over-hyped the release of the Epstein files and made a series of curious statements, should be called to testify and explain herself. Democrats have suggested these kinds of things are half-measures, but they could still add fuel to the fire. Other prominent Republicans also continue to press the case, including Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. 'Release the damn files. It makes no sense to me,' Tillis said Wednesday at an Axios event, adding: 'Either the promise to release the files during the campaign was either overplayed and we got a nothingburger if the files get released, or it's something really disturbing. And that's actually even a more compelling reason to release it. 'And this nonsense – well, we've got to protect the innocent, witnesses, those sorts of things – that's called redactions. We do that all the time,' he added. Tillis' commentary reinforces that there are just no good answers here for the GOP, shy of a sizable disclosure. And the North Carolina Republican, who can speak more freely now that he's not running for reelection, also assured this was going nowhere because of that. 'If anybody thinks that this is going to go away because the House left a day early or something, this is going to be like those zombies in 'The Walking Dead,' ' Tillis said. 'Every time you think you've killed it, another one's just going to come out of the closet after you. 'This is going to be an issue all the way through next year's election.'
