Speaker Mike Johnson says he won't block House vote to release Epstein files

"Republican House speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday said he would not prevent a vote on legislation to make the Jeffrey Epstein files public, even as the chamber remained out of session for a fourth straight week. Johnson has kept the House of Representatives in recess ever since the shutdown began at the start of the month, after Democrats and Republicans failed to reach an agreement on extending government funding beyond the end of September."

"The justice department this year said he died by suicide, but Donald Trump and his officials have previously restated conspiracies that Epstein was at the center of a larger plot. The president opposes the release of the documents and called the controversy over them a Democrat hoax, but all House Democrats along with three Republicans have signed the petition, bringing it one signature away from reaching the 218-member threshold to trigger a vote."

"The final signature on the petition is expected to be Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat elected last month to fill her late father's seat representing a district along the state's border with Mexico. However, Johnson has refused to swear her in until the House reconvenes, which he says he will not allow until the government reopens. Grijalva has told the Guardian she believes that Johnson, a close ally of Trump, is attempting to delay"

Mike Johnson said he would not prevent a vote to make Jeffrey Epstein investigation files public, even as the House remained out of session. He kept the House in recess after a shutdown began when Democrats and Republicans failed to agree on funding, which delayed a discharge petition meant to force a vote releasing federal investigation documents into Epstein. The justice department said Epstein died by suicide; President Donald Trump opposes releasing the documents and called the controversy a Democrat hoax. All House Democrats and three Republicans signed the petition, leaving one signature short of the 218 needed. The expected final signer, Adelita Grijalva, has not been sworn in because Johnson refuses to seat her until the government reopens.

Read at www.theguardian.com