GOP chair forced to abruptly shut down hearing to thwart Dems

House Republicans swiftly shut down a congressional hearing on Wednesday when Democrats tried to introduce a measure to subpoena the Epstein files from the Justice Department, Axios reported.

The chaos unfolded during a hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement, where the topic at hand was the "crisis of unaccompanied alien children." Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), the ranking member on that committee, introduced the motion on Epstein.

At that point, Chair Clay Higgins (R-LA), "suspended the motion until the end of the hearing," and then, "Rather than holding a vote on it, however, Higgins abruptly recessed the hearing, telling members, when pressed on when the panel would reconvene, to 'stand by.'"

This marks the latest conflict in the House as Republicans grapple with how to handle the exploding controversy over the Epstein sex trafficking case, which Trump's Justice Department declined to release files on in defiance of promises the president had previously made.

It also comes as more information comes to light about the nature of Trump's friendship with Epstein, including a salacious letter he sent to the deceased financier allegedly featuring a drawing of a nude woman.