{"id":2466988,"date":"2025-07-26T07:35:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T11:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-gop-catching-epstein-heat-as-they-return-home-for-recess\/"},"modified":"2025-07-26T07:35:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T11:35:44","slug":"house-gop-catching-epstein-heat-as-they-return-home-for-recess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-gop-catching-epstein-heat-as-they-return-home-for-recess\/","title":{"rendered":"House GOP catching Epstein heat as they return home for recess"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhouse-gop-catching-epstein-heat-as-they-return-home-for-recess%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2466988&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>House Republicans are facing intense scrutiny from constituents during the August recess over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Despite political gridlock in the house and reluctance from the Trump management to fully release Department of justice documents related to Epstein, pressure continues to mount. The DOJ and FBI recently issued a memo denying the existence of a client list or evidence of blackmail, fueling backlash from President Trump&#8217;s base.<\/p>\n<p>Some lawmakers,including Rep.Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), have introduced bipartisan legislation-the Epstein Files openness Act-to push for the full public release of all related government files. Eleven Republicans have co-sponsored the bill, yet Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has avoided bringing it to a vote. Other Republicans like Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) have publicly criticized leadership for stalling action.<\/p>\n<p>While Trump dismisses the release efforts as a &#8220;hoax&#8221; and a politically motivated scam, Speaker Johnson has distanced himself from this rhetoric, acknowledging the presence of real victims and emphasizing the need for accountability.<\/p>\n<p>Bipartisan efforts also include House Oversight committee motions to subpoena key figures such as Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein&#8217;s associate, with several Republicans joining Democrats to demand more transparency and justice.Lawmakers at town halls emphasize the importance of protecting victims and prosecuting any offenders implicated, nonetheless of status.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">House members face Epstein heat as they return home for August recess<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2180527\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Republicans<\/a> are getting an earful back home over the release of the Jeffrey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/JEFFREY-EPSTEIN\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Epstein<\/a> files during the start of their <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >monthlong district work period<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>House members returned to their districts this week after days of political gridlock in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">House<\/a> over the Trump administration&rsquo;s refusal to release the Department of Justice files on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ghislaine-maxwell-kept-a-degrading-58-page-list-of-rules-for-epstein-house-staff\/\" title=\"... Kept A \u2018Degrading\u2019 58-Page List Of Rules For ... ... Staff\">late sex offender<\/a>, despite telegraphing revelations that were coming, including a possible client list. The problem doesn&rsquo;t appear to be going away anytime soon and could overshadow GOP efforts to sell President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/DONALD-TRUMP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> One Big Beautiful Bill Act during the recess.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3482657\/thomas-massie-questions-gop-leaders-recess-appointments\/\">Rabble-rouser Thomas Massie questions why GOP leaders won&#8217;t allow recess appointments<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3482567\/house-ethics-mike-kelly-stock-insider-trade-wife\/\">House Ethics recommends Rep. Mike Kelly and wife divest of steel manufacturer stock<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3482566\/house-union-lawsuit-starbucks-jimmy-johns-vendors\/\">House union sues Starbucks and Jimmy John&rsquo;s vendors over eatery shakeup&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>As town halls have begun, Republicans have faced scrutiny from their constituents over the handling of the files since&nbsp;the Justice Department and FBI released a two-page memo earlier this month stating there is no evidence Epstein blackmailed people or kept a &ldquo;client list&rdquo; and reiterating he died by suicide, a conclusion that has resulted in mounting backlash from Trump&rsquo;s Make America Great Again base.<\/p>\n<p>The White House has used many methods to divert attention from the issue, but that has not stopped constituents from voicing their concerns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) <a href=\"https:\/\/massie.house.gov\/news\/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395739\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">announced<\/a> the Epstein Files Transparency Act with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to force a vote on the complete release of government files related to the convicted sex offender. Eleven Republicans have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-resolution\/581\/cosponsors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">co-sponsored<\/a> the legislation as of Friday, as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has dodged voting on it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>One co-sponsor, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), addressed why he signed onto the legislation in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desperate-mcauliffe-caught-in-lie-by-cnn-politico\/\" title=\"\u2018Desperate\u2019: McAuliffe Caught In \u2018Lie\u2019 By CNN, Politico\">tele-town hall<\/a> on Tuesday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I believe transparency should be the hallmark of every administration, whether they&rsquo;re Democrat or Republican,&rdquo; Crane said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Other members who did not cosponsor the legislation are also pushing back on leadership for the Epstein drama.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who is expected to launch a bid for governor this weekend, posted on X that he led a separate resolution, claiming that &ldquo;leadership is stalling.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#128680; I led Republicans in a serious resolution &mdash; that protects victims &mdash; to expose the truth about the Epstein files, just like President Trump promised. But leadership is stalling.<\/p>\n<p>The American people deserve action, not excuses. Let&rsquo;s vote on it before August recess and get it&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rep. Ralph Norman (@RepRalphNorman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepRalphNorman\/status\/1947670099290128482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 22, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>While members of Trump&rsquo;s team, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, previously fueled an idea that the government was hiding some grand conspiracy to protect powerful clients, the president now wants to shut down the fervor and move on.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has clapped back at the efforts of the Democratic Party to push for the release: &ldquo;Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.&rdquo; He said his &ldquo;PAST supporters have bought into this &lsquo;bull****&rsquo; hook, line, and sinker. They haven&rsquo;t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years,&rdquo; he wrote on <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/114863203348237352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">TruthSocial<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Johnson separated himself from the president Thursday, telling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/video\/extended-interview-speaker-mike-johnson-on-epstein-files-2026-midterms-and-more\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">CBS<\/a> that &ldquo;it is not a hoax,&rdquo; while emphasizing &ldquo;there are real victims here.&rdquo; The speaker added he had &ldquo;never seen the Epstein evidence, it was not in my lane.&rdquo; &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Other successful bipartisan motions were led in the House this week. Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) introduced a motion to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3480196\/house-oversight-votes-subpoena-clintons-epstein-case-depose-maxwell-prison\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\" subpoena the records\"> subpoena the records<\/a> in a House Oversight subcommittee, where three Republicans voted with the Pennsylvania Democrat, including Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), who also supports the Massie resolution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Perry, who sits in a competitive seat, responded to questions during a town hall Tuesday night, saying, &ldquo;I have requested the files. I have requested that the DOJ, and you can see the letter publicly, that the DOJ release the files. Not only that, that they also provide a special prosecutor,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/transcripts\/1256217294\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">NPR reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) was also confronted at a tele-town hall Wednesday over the handling of the Epstein files. He said the most important thing to do is to protect the victims, saying, &ldquo;People are being sloppy and playing politics with this, I think it&rsquo;s really important that we make sure that we protect the victims.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3478340\/house-oversight-committee-subpoena-ghislaine-maxwell-epstein\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO SUBPOENA GHISLAINE MAXWELL AS EPSTEIN FIGHT CONTINUES&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When asked if he would go after the &ldquo;predators&rdquo; no matter who is on the list, he responded, &ldquo;I want to see anyone who has committed a crime against a child to be prosecuted, period. Hard stop.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) passed a motion unanimously Tuesday morning by voice vote in the House Oversight Committee to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein&rsquo;s associate. Maxwell met with a senior Department of Justice official on Thursday and Friday in Tallahassee, where she is imprisoned.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2180527\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2180527\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House members face backlash over Epstein files during recess<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3691,"featured_media":2466989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP23178413275968-scaled-1024x865.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[40100,59959,32455,36160,32085],"class_list":["post-2466988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-congressional-recess","tag-epstein-scandal","tag-house-gop","tag-political-controversy","tag-republican-party"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP23178413275968-scaled-1024x865.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2466988"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2466992,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466988\/revisions\/2466992"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2466989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2466988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2466988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2466988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}