In July, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) broke for recess a bit earlier than planned, mostly because the Epstein files debacle was dominating headlines and creating problems for Presidsent Donald Trump and the broader Republican Party
He took considerable heat over the decision, but it does appear that he is making the most of his time.
A report broke this week that Johnson was in Nashville, spreading the word about Trump’s agenda.
I never thought the GOP would be suffering from infighting over the Epstein files, but the tail end of the last congressional session was plagued by it.
Trump tried to quell the issue, but there were more than a few Republicans who wanted all the files turned over immediately.
The announcement that there was no client list in existence did not sit well with a lot of people, many of whom had bought into the rhetoric that such a document would take down most of the D.C. swamp.
Rather than allow the fighting to continue, Johnson chose to break early for recess.
Johnson explained why he was not willing to have the files released in full.
He stated, “We have a moral responsibility to expose the evil of Epstein and everybody who was involved in that, absolutely. And we're resolved to do it. But we also have an equal moral responsibility to protect the innocent.”
That statement was made to offset the claims by Democrats that he was protecting pedophiles, possibly even Trump himself.
Journalist Sacha Pfeiffer explained, “Johnson is trying to avoid dragging out a fight among Republicans over releasing the details of federal investigations into Jeffrey Epstein. And Johnson defended the decision to shut down the House floor during the fight to release the records.”
Johnson is now in Nashville talking to voters about Trump’s agenda.
He told a recent crowd, "We’re so glad to see y’all. We’re here to talk about the no tax on tips provision.”
He continued, "You know what this means, at the end of the day, everybody has more money in their pockets and less money they’ve got to send to Washington."
When I had first heard reports, many members of Congress were off on vacation, and I was infuriated, as this is the time they are supposed to be back in their districts. If they get too comfy, we are going to get it handed to us in the midterms, and if that happens, Trump’s agenda gets stalled out completely.
