House Speaker Mike Johnson made the surprising announcement on Wednesday that a vote will come earlier than expected to force the Justice Department to release all its files in the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Johnson told reporters he will put such a bill on the House floor next week, CNN reported.
“We’re going to put that on the floor for a full vote when we get back next week,” Johnson said.
“In the meantime, I’ll remind everybody the [House] Oversight Committee has been working around the clock” on its own investigation, Johnson noted.
After finally swearing in Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), Johnson was forced to bring a bill from Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on the floor, as Grijalva became the 218th signature on their discharge petition to release the files.
Johnson had stymied a vote on releasing the Epstein files by keeping the House in recess and delaying Grijalva's swearing-in.
Johnson and his GOP allies have cited the government shutdown and House recess as the driver behind these delays, though Democrats and even some Republicans have speculated his true motive was to shield his party and President Donald Trump.
Johnson has publicly denied that his moves were meant to block Epstein disclosures.
