FILE PHOTO: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo/File Photo/File Photo
Republican strategist and political analyst Susan Del Percio slammed House Republicans’ efforts to stonewall measures to unseal documents on Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday, arguing their tactics are actually “prolonging” criticism of Republicans among their base.
“I think he's prolonging it and making it actually worse,” Percio said Tuesday on MSNBC’s Ana Cabrera Reports.
On Monday, House Republican leadership shut down House proceedings to block a bipartisan measure to force a vote on releasing more files on Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on human trafficking charges. A convicted sex offender, Epstein was alleged to have maintained a “client list” of powerful figures for blackmail purposes, and was long a close friend of President Donald Trump.
Johnson has called the measure a “political game” from Democrats, and said that he hoped “Republicans don’t join in that.” Percio, however, argued the stonewalling will hurt Republicans in the long run.
“Those folks in MAGA land that are the big conspiracists, they are going to be talking about it among themselves every single day,” Percio said. “The attacks will drum on against [Attorney General] Pam Bondi, against President Trump. I think this was a big mistake, they should have let it come forward. But I don't think we'll ever see all those documents anyway.”
Trump and his administration have been under renewed scrutiny in recent weeks after a Justice Department memo shut down further investigation and disclosure related to Epstein. Trump’s dismissal of criticism of the move, along with a bombshell report from the Wall Street Journal revealing new details about Trump and Epstein’s relationship, has only heightened scrutiny, particularly among Trump’s most loyal supporters.
Trump has made efforts to quell the rage among his base, including calling for grand jury transcripts to be released related to Epstein, as well as beginning talks with Epstein associate and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. However, critics have labeled those efforts as largely performative.
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