House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) vowed to vote in favor of a bill to release files on Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday in a sharp reversal from his earlier stance, and one that drew an immediate rebuke from one Democratic lawmaker.
“Daddy gave you permission??” wrote Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) Tuesday in a social media post on X, responding to the news that Johnson voiced support for the bill.
For months, Johnson had fought against the bi-partisan bill that could compel the Justice Department to release all of its files on Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. The bill was backed, however, by a discharge petition – a tool that with enough signatures can force a floor vote on a particular measure – which last week received enough signatures to proceed.
Even as recently as Tuesday morning, Johnson still expressed concerns about the bill, citing concerns about exposing the identities of victims. Still, he said “I’ll be voting yes today” during a press conference late Tuesday morning.
Johnson has been accused of trying to obstruct the vote on the Epstein bill by placing the House in recess early, and by delaying his swearing in of Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who won her election on Sept. 23, pledged to sign onto the bill but wasn’t sworn in until last week.
Critics have labeled Johnson’s opposition to the bill as him protecting Trump, who’s called inquiries into Epstein a “hoax,” and launched an aggressive campaign to block the bill’s passage, including by attacking the handful of Republicans supporting the files’ release.
Trump had even held an emergency meeting in the Situation Room to discuss the growing support for the bill, and attempted – unsuccessfully – to convince dissenting Republicans to withdraw their support for it.