House Speaker Mike Johnson has abruptly adjourned the U.S. House of Representatives until September, cutting the summer session short to halt a growing push from both Democrats and Republicans to force a vote on releasing sealed evidence from the Jeffrey Epstein case.
The decision came late Monday after the House Rules Committee hit an impasse. Lawmakers across the aisle had been pushing to include Epstein-related transparency measures in upcoming bills. Instead of allowing those proposals to advance, GOP leadership recessed the committee and moved up the House’s summer break by two days.
With no new legislation on the docket, lawmakers will now head home after Wednesday, July 23—leaving critical votes off the table.
“We’re not going to let Democrats weaponize this issue as a political tool,” Johnson said Tuesday, echoing President Donald Trump’s recent stance. “This was a calculated effort to hijack the Rules Committee and turn it into a circus.”
The move drew immediate criticism, especially given the bipartisan momentum building in recent weeks to demand full disclosure of Epstein-related evidence—something President Trump had previously promised, but has since walked back.
In a shift from his 2024 campaign pledge to declassify Epstein records, Trump has recently labeled public interest in the case a “hoax” and accused his own supporters of falling for media “psy-ops.” Although the president did instruct Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this week to release “all pertinent grand jury testimony,” legal experts called it a “red herring.”
“Trump knows grand jury testimony didn’t include any questions about him,” former federal prosecutor Kristy Greenberg posted on X. “The real material—photos, videos, witness notes—is being buried.”
An inventory released by the Department of Justice lists a trove of Epstein evidence still under seal: hard drives, security cameras, and a CD labeled “girl pics nude book 4.”
Despite that, Speaker Johnson insisted the administration was already taking sufficient action.
“There’s no reason for Congress to force something the president is actively pursuing,” Johnson said, defending the early recess. “We support full transparency—but not at the cost of retraumatizing victims or playing politics.”
The move sparked rebellion from within Johnson’s own party. Libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of the few Republicans openly defying Trump on this issue, slammed the leadership’s decision.
“This is about whether the executive branch gets to silence Congress,” Massie said outside the Capitol. “They’re trying to make an example of me to keep the rest in line. It won’t work.”
Massie’s comments came hours after Trump attacked him on Truth Social, calling him “the worst Republican Congressman” and “a real loser.”
Still, Massie remained defiant. “This isn’t about party loyalty. It’s about truth, accountability, and doing our job,” he said.
The controversy comes on the heels of a Justice Department memo declaring its Epstein investigation closed—claiming no “client list” ever existed. That conclusion has only fueled more skepticism among lawmakers and the public.
With Congress now out until September, any further action on the Epstein files will have to wait—unless political pressure over the summer break becomes too intense for GOP leadership to ignore.
