'Not gone away like the speaker hoped': Rogue Republican already has Johnson in corner

With the summer break over, the House is set to re-convene Tuesday — which means Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has no choice but to deal with a member of his own caucus who has put him in a corner over allowing a vote on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

According to Rep. Tom Massie (R-KY), what has transpired while Congress has been out for summer break has made it even more imperative for a vote on the release to happen — and the sooner the better.

In an interview with Politico, the rogue GOP lawmaker, who has been butting heads with not only the speaker but also with President Donald Trump, stated: “This has not gone away like the speaker had hoped. If anything, now that the DOJ is releasing documents, it’s increasing the momentum.”

And, according to Politico, Epstein is not Johnson’s only problem. “The GOP dissension over Epstein, as well as internal pressure to hold a vote on cracking down on member stock trading, pose twin threats to Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of the House as the shutdown deadline approaches," Politico reported.

Nonetheless, the high-profile fight over the release of files believed to have been kept by the convicted pedophile — which many believe implicate several important people in his crimes — will take center stage, with Massie stating “I think this issue has reached escape velocity,” while predicting he will have the 218 signatures for a discharge petition.

Massie has picked up another ally, Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV), who told Politico, “I don’t think there’s too many options. I think you have to take it up, right?

”Meanwhile, “In the Senate, Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee invoked a little-used law and set a Sept. 2 deadline for the DOJ to hand over documents and brief panel staff. If the department doesn’t comply, Democrats believe they’ll be able to sue — and keep the issue in the headlines indefinitely,” Politico is reporting.

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