Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) revealed that lawmakers would “probably” take up a vote on measures tied to the release of more records tied to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The possibility of renewed action comes after last month’s bitter stalemate over the case forced the House into an early recess.
In an interview Friday morning, Johnson noted that members had already started gathering details from the Department of Justice and its meetings with Epstein’s longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell, who was convicted on trafficking charges, has remained a central figure in the controversy surrounding Epstein’s high-profile circle.
“We have our own resolutions to do all this, but it’s sort of not necessary at the point because the administration is already doing this — they’re turning it over,” Johnson said on CNN’s News Central.
“There probably will be a vote of some sense, but we’ve got to get everybody collected again and build consensus around that.”
Despite Johnson’s reluctance to make the matter a central priority, momentum continues to build.
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are preparing to take victims of Epstein and Maxwell’s to Capitol Hill next week.
Their goal is to bolster support for a bipartisan resolution demanding that the Trump administration release the long-awaited Epstein files.
Johnson, however, dismissed the need for additional pressure. “It’s not even necessary,” he said. “The process is playing out as it should.”
“Very soon the American people will have that information, and they should have had it all along,” he added.
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The matter escalated in July when the House unexpectedly adjourned for its August recess a day early after partisan fighting derailed efforts to uncover more information about Epstein’s past.
Johnson said on Friday that he has long stood for full disclosure. “We’re for maximum transparency,” he said.
“With the Epstein files, I’ve been saying this for years — we’ve been intellectually consistent from day one, and over this break, over the last couple weeks in August, the Department of Justice and the administration have been fully compliant with Congress’ subpoenas, and they’ve submitted over 34,000 Epstein documents already.”
Still, the Speaker has questioned whether Maxwell’s testimony is even worth pursuing. Speaking to reporters last month, he openly doubted her reliability.
“Can she be counted on to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness?” he questioned. “I mean, this is a person who’s been sentenced to many, many years in prison for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts, acts against innocent young people.”
As lawmakers weigh their next steps, senior Justice Department officials are expected to face questioning on Capitol Hill.
FBI Director Kash Patel is slated to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Sept. 17, while Attorney General Pam Bondi will appear Oct. 9. Both are expected to field questions as part of the panel’s broader oversight work.
Separately, Alex Acosta, the former Trump Labor Secretary who approved Epstein’s controversial plea deal years earlier as a U.S. attorney in Florida, will give a transcribed interview with the Oversight Committee on Sept. 19.
Plans to hear from former FBI Director Robert Mueller, however, have been derailed.
A source familiar with the matter told Fox News that lawmakers “learned that Mr. Mueller has health issues that preclude him from being able to testify.” The committee, the source added, “intends to withdraw its subpoena.”
Mueller had been among several prominent names targeted by House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) as part of a sweeping effort to question those connected to Epstein.
The former special counsel would have followed former Attorney General Bill Barr, who testified in person before the committee last month.
Beyond the Epstein saga, Johnson also weighed in on another major topic — whether the Trump administration should deploy National Guard troops to curb rising crime in major cities.
Johnson acknowledged the White House was weighing the move but declined to offer a firm stance on whether his own district of Shreveport, Louisiana, should receive additional law enforcement help.
“I don’t know, that’s not my call,” Johnson said during his CNN appearance. “It may be necessary; I don’t know. Let’s take one city at a time and see.”
“We have to address the crime problem in any city where it is, if it’s a problem like that,” he added.
CNN anchor John Berman pressed the Speaker on the issue, noting FBI statistics that showed Shreveport’s violent crime rate per 100,000 residents had outpaced Washington, D.C. Johnson pushed back, pointing to local efforts but acknowledged the city has struggled.
“There’s a lot of good work that’s been done,” Johnson said, before blaming lax prosecutions.
“We have a Democrat [district attorney] there who has not been prosecuting crime as some other more aggressive D.A.s have around the country. But I’ll say that it’s an urban area that has a lot of problems that are happening around the country, and we have to address it.”
The Speaker also turned to health policy, defending Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. amid turmoil inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency has seen a mass exit of staff following the administration’s removal of its director, Susan Monarez.
“Well, I think overall, Secretary Kennedy is doing a great job,” Johnson said on Good Morning America. “There’s been a shakeup that’s been needed there, and I think we’ve got to trust the secretary to do his job.”
“They’ve had some great results there,” he continued. “We’re getting America healthy again — that’s well received across the country, and long overdue, in my view, so we’re going to let the Cabinet do their job, and I’m going to stay in my lane and do mine.”
Pressed on vaccine availability and whether Americans could trust the CDC after the shakeup, Johnson kept his response measured.
“Let’s see how all that sorts out,” he said. “The CDC plays an important role in the government and in our society, and we want it to be strong, and we want it to be restored to its original intent. The secretary’s made a good point that the existing leadership was not — not doing that.”
