Johnson: Dems Had These Files for Years and Never Mentioned the Word ‘Epstein’

Nobody likes putting in overtime, but in Congress — a body allergic to five-day work weeks — the idea of sticking around for any amount of time is cause for a quiet mutiny. In the Senate, the possibility of extra hours in August holds an extra sting, since the House decided to beat it out of town early to escape the heat of the Epstein files. Some GOP senators are especially peeved, griping anonymously to reporters about the injustice of the situation. Others coped by claiming superiority over the other chamber. “The high school usually goes a lot longer than the elementary school,” an unnamed Republican taunted.

Look, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) wanted people to know, the backlog of work on the other side of the Capitol is significant. “There’s a stack of House bills that are waiting over there, so if they start moving them, we’ll come back and give them some more to do,” he promised. It’s also the unfortunate reality of the Senate, since it’s the body tasked with moving Donald Trump’s nominees. And as far as the president is concerned, there needs to be more moving, less vacationing.

“Hopefully the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months, will cancel August recess (and long weekends!), in order to get my incredible nominees confirmed,” Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We need them badly!!!”

Of course, part of the reason for the GOP’s current predicament is the Democrats’ stonewalling. “Trump’s the first president in history that hasn’t had a [nomination] adopted by this point in his presidency,” Thune explained, “either by unanimous consent or voice. Not a single one.” He added, “Trying to get his team in place is something that we’re very committed to, and we’re going to be looking at all the options in the next few weeks to try and get as many of those across the finish line as we can.”

As The Washington Times highlights, most of the president’s picks have been stalled because Democrats haven’t returned blue slips signing off on Trump’s picks. Under Senate tradition, the committees won’t move a nominee unless both home state senators send back the blue slip of approval. But in recent years, the once-routine formality has become a weapon in the hands of the minority party, used to gum-up the process and stymie the other side. Not to mention, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley (R) shakes his head, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s party is “filibustering like every single nominee.”

But that approach also has its downsides, Republicans warned. “I guess if they want to be here for all of August and grind this out,” Hawley shrugged, “we can do it that way, but it’s going to get pretty painful here pretty soon.”

To the grumblers in his caucus who think it’s unfair to let the House go and keep the Senate in session, Thune could only say, “We’re in the human resources business. They’re not. … It is what it is. You’ve got different rules,” he noted. “It’s easier to get things done [in the House]. You can do stuff with simple majorities.” That said, he continued, “[I]t’s also hard to get things done, especially when you have narrow margins. I have an appreciation for what they’re dealing with over there,” he said. “We got our work to do here, and we’re going to stay focused.”

Johnson, meanwhile, has his own fires to put out. He may not be in regular session, but the Louisiana leader is definitely putting in plenty of time in Epstein damage control. As for his decision to shoo House leaders out the door early for August, the speaker blames the Left. “Democrats did their dead-level best to quite literally shut down the operation of Congress because they found a wedge issue. … [W]e’ve had the most productive first six months of arguably any Congress, any administration in the history of the United States. … Meanwhile,” he told Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on Saturday’s “This Week on Capitol Hill,” “[Democrats are] suddenly trying to manufacture something … with the so-called Epstein files.”

But, the speaker underscored, “Remember, the Biden Department of Justice had all of these files in their possession for the previous four years. Not one time did [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) or Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), or Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), or any of the Democrats who have made so much noise over the last two weeks — not one time in the last four years did they mention the word ‘Epstein’ at all.”

The hypocrisy, Perkins agreed, “is over the top with Democrats.” For literally months, Johnson reiterated, “It’s nowhere in their social media and their interviews or anything. And now, suddenly, it’s the most important thing in the world. We’re not buying it, and I’m not going to allow them to drag Congress into this,” he vowed.

And their audacity surprises even Johnson. “… [Democrats are] trying to claim that this is some sort of cover-up. Remember, each of them [was] involved in orchestrating what was the largest political cover-up and political scandal in the history of the United States — and was covering up for the rapid mental decline of the previous occupant of the White House, when Joe Biden was no longer fit to serve.” He shook his head. “And they went out and tried to convince us of the opposite — [which is] very, very dangerous stuff. They need to answer for that. And there needs to be a lot of accountability all the way around. And House Republicans are the ones urging that and pushing it along with every tool in our arsenal.”

In the meantime, if they’re trying to accuse Trump of hiding something, they’re wrong. The president “has said himself he wants full release of all credible evidence,” the speaker pointed out. Even so, “he wants to also be very careful about protecting people who have already suffered in this, the people who are the victims of the Epstein evils. And that’s a very delicate and important thing to do,” the speaker reiterated. “You’ve got to make sure you redact the names of minors who were subjected to this, and so that process is underway.”

Regardless, Johnson assured everyone, “… We want the full weight of the system of justice [and] the full weight of the law to be brought down upon the heads of anyone who is involved in any way [with] the evils that Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and the rest were involved in.” But as that situation unfolds, the speaker cautioned, it’s not exactly helpful for members to grind work to a halt. “[All Democrats do] is to complain about that and not address the policy matters that we’re delivering on.”

At least one member of Jeffries’s caucus seems to get it, telling Axios that the issue may be an “opportunity to throw some red meat” to the “insatiable” grassroots base, but, he warned, “We have to be careful not to get led around by the nose by feeding the beast every hour. At the end of the day, we have to be for something.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

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