House Speaker Will Not Block Epstein Records Vote

On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated he wouldn’t obstruct a floor vote on a resolution to disclose records related to Jeffrey Epstein, provided enough signatures are gathered.

The petition appears ready to meet its threshold once Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva from Arizona is officially sworn in. However, Johnson is currently delaying her swearing-in by linking it to actions on a government funding bill that had already passed in the House.

“As soon as we have 218 signatures, we’ll put it to a vote,” Johnson said, emphasizing he had no plans to impede the bill. He added, “That’s just how it works. Once we gather the signatures, it will be brought to the floor.”

The petition, introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, allows lawmakers to bypass party leadership and compel a floor vote as long as 218 members sign on.

Republican leaders have attempted to sidestep discussions on the resolution, stating at a Tuesday news conference that new evidence is emerging from the ongoing investigation into Epstein by the House Oversight Committee.

“The bipartisan House Oversight Committee has already achieved what the petition requested and more,” Johnson mentioned in the conference, adding that all “credible information” from the investigation would eventually be accessible to the public.

In a related note, the White House has cautioned that Republicans signing the expulsion petition could face repercussions for “extremely hostile conduct.” Despite pressure from President Trump and party leaders, three additional Republicans—Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, and Lauren Boebert—have joined Massie in supporting the petition.

Neither Massie nor Khanna provided comments before the publication deadline.