If House Speaker Mike Johnson thought his pal, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, would help delay a measure to release government files on Jeffrey Epstein, he was sorely mistaken.
The House voted 427–1. in favor Epstein File Transparency Act (HR4405) on Tuesday. Shortly after, Thune expressed optimism about efforts moving through the Senate to release the full set of documents on the alleged sex offender, who has been linked to such prominent figures as President Donald Trump.
Thune said the Senate will likely take up the petition “very quickly” after Trump said he was “ready” to sign it. Burgess Everett of Semaphore.
Thune acknowledged that Johnson had hoped his Senate colleagues would amend the legislation, but admitted changes were “unlikely” after overwhelming House support.
This could spell bad news for Johnson. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump's staunch ally said he “…very confident” that Thune and Senate Republicans would address his own laundry list of concerns about the resolution.
In addition to alleged concerns about not protecting the identities of victims or not doing enough to prevent the publication of child sexual abuse material, Johnson also expressed fears that publication could potentially expose “false allegations” and risk “creating new victims.”
Representative Thomas Massie, the resolution's only Republican co-sponsor, dismissed Johnson's so-called concerns as a “red herring” and warned they could be just another “delay tactic.”
