The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee told MSNBC on Tuesday night that his Republican colleagues are at a breaking point with President Donald Trump.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) joined Jen Psaki on "The Briefing" to discuss the House GOP leadership sending lawmakers home.
"Speaker Mike Johnson basically sent everybody home. There are some drawbacks for Republicans in that regard — not things you might like or vote for — but he sent everyone home because he didn’t want them to move forward, or didn’t want the House to move forward on voting to release the Epstein files. He’s hoping, I guess, that he will outlast everyone through August. Do you think he can?"
Garcia said he "absolutely" doesn't think Johnson can outlast the pressure from the media, the MAGA base and Democrats.
"The American public are seeing that Donald Trump has betrayed them. He’s broken their trust," Garcia said, noting that Trump campaigned partially on the promise to release the Epstein files.
"And if Donald Trump or Mike Johnson think Democrats are just going to roll over and allow that to happen, they are highly mistaken," he added.
When Psaki countered that they think Republicans will "roll over and let that happen," Garcia said he wasn't so sure.
"I don’t think that’s going to happen either. And I’m talking to not just Republicans on our Oversight Committee, but Republicans across Congress. There’s a lot that are just keeping their mouths shut right now. But they’re very concerned that their base and supporters back home are demanding them to stand up to Donald Trump in this moment," he said.
Garcia warned Trump hasn't heard the last from Republican lawmakers — or his base.
"I’m going to have more and more Republicans come out and demand the release. And what Tim Burchett has done, what Tom Massie is doing — which we’re going to support that discharge petition. We are going to get a full vote of that release when we come back," he vowed.
Garcia added that Trump's "base is beginning to stand up to him." He stressed it's vitally important for Democrats to recognize and capitalize on the moment, despite what else is happening in government.
"Yes, we need to focus on health care. Yes, we need to focus on tax breaks for the rich, which we oppose. But this is about corruption. At the end of the day, this leans into Americans' understanding that Donald Trump is corrupt. He’s not for you. He will lie to you. He will betray you. And he’s only in it to save himself. And that’s what this moment is about.
