House Speaker Mike Johnson has given lawmakers just enough time to put pressure on his office, revealing that a full House vote on releasing the Department of Justice's long-secret Jeffrey Epstein case files will take place next week.
It appears Johnson had initially used the ongoing government shutdown as an excuse to avoid tackling this contentious issue. However, with the Senate's willingness to reopen the government and several Democrats pushing for action, the decision was made to put the matter on the floor.
Johnson's statement came during a House session that also saw Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva being sworn in after a 50-day delay. The congressman had initially stymied her swearing-in process by refusing to allow the House to convene, effectively forcing her into support for releasing the Epstein files.
Grijalva's commitment to pushing forward on this issue was clear when she stated that "Justice cannot wait another day." In fact, just hours before speaking out, new emails were released showing former President Trump had known more about Epstein's abuses than he had previously acknowledged. This further highlights the case for Congress acting as a check-and-balance on the administration.
With Democrats now having a strong enough show of force to hold Johnson accountable, it remains to be seen whether this vote will ultimately change anything in terms of how Epstein's files are handled by law enforcement agencies.
It appears Johnson had initially used the ongoing government shutdown as an excuse to avoid tackling this contentious issue. However, with the Senate's willingness to reopen the government and several Democrats pushing for action, the decision was made to put the matter on the floor.
Johnson's statement came during a House session that also saw Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva being sworn in after a 50-day delay. The congressman had initially stymied her swearing-in process by refusing to allow the House to convene, effectively forcing her into support for releasing the Epstein files.
Grijalva's commitment to pushing forward on this issue was clear when she stated that "Justice cannot wait another day." In fact, just hours before speaking out, new emails were released showing former President Trump had known more about Epstein's abuses than he had previously acknowledged. This further highlights the case for Congress acting as a check-and-balance on the administration.
With Democrats now having a strong enough show of force to hold Johnson accountable, it remains to be seen whether this vote will ultimately change anything in terms of how Epstein's files are handled by law enforcement agencies.
. It's almost like they thought it would go away, but now that it's back on the table, things are heating up 
. I think it's interesting how Adelita Grijalva is pushing for action - her quote "Justice cannot wait another day" really drives the point home about the urgency of this issue 
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. I'm not sure what this means in terms of actual consequences, but I do know that Congress has a role to play in checking the administration and making sure they're held accountable 
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. It's been ages since Epstein's files have seen the light of day, and those new emails just dropped like a bombshell 
. Anyway, so the House is finally going to vote on releasing those Epstein files next week... about time, if you ask me 
. I mean, it's been ages since this has been a thing and it's crazy that Mike Johnson was trying to avoid it just because of the shutdown 
. And can we talk about how convenient it is that the Senate reopened the government? It's like they're doing it just to satisfy us Democrats who've been pushing for transparency 
. Grijalva's stance on this is super refreshing, though - I love that she's calling out Trump and saying justice isn't something you can put off forever 
. Now we'll see if anything actually changes... probably not, but a girl can dream 
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And I gotta give it to her, "Justice cannot wait another day" is a pretty fiery statement 
... might as well just get it over with, right? 
