Speaker Mike Johnson Is Under Even More Pressure to Release the Epstein Files

Don’t push Speaker Moses, ’cause he’s close to the ... edge. From Politico:

[Voters in southwest Arizona] are highly likely to elect a new Democratic House member in a special election Tuesday. That would-be lawmaker, Adelita Grijalva, told POLITICO she plans to become the 218th and clinching supporter of a bipartisan effort to force public disclosure of federal investigative files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Grijalva is the daughter of the late Democratic stalwart, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, and she seems quite serious about flipping the House on the Epstein issue.

“This is as much about fulfilling Congress’ duty as a constitutional check on this administration as it is about demanding justice for survivors,” she said. “The days of turning a blind eye to Trump must end.”

Grijalva’s vote sets in motion the process of prying loose what’s left of the files. (No turnip truck for me. I suspect those files are paper shrapnel by now.) And Speaker Moses still has the ability to change some of his more weak-minded members into changing their votes. But it’s still a fight worth making.

Grijalva’s signature would complete a process launched by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) after the Epstein controversy exploded over the summer, cornering Republican leaders between Trump and GOP voters who have insisted on transparency in the government’s handling of the abuser.

The discharge petition allows Massie and Khanna to sidestep Johnson, who has instead supported a House Oversight Committee probe into Epstein. It would force a floor vote requiring publication of all Justice Department records related to the sex offender, with limited exceptions to protect victims.

Grijalva’s victory also will underscore further how narrow the wire Johnson is walking as Speaker is. If Massie, Greene, and the others can defy him on the Epstein files, what’s to keep other Republicans from operating on their own hooks, especially those looking at dire reelection numbers in their home districts? That six-vote majority looks perilous depending on where you sit. It’s like a jungle sometimes, and Speaker Moses has to be wondering how he keeps from going under.