At the weekly House Republican Leadership press conference on Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson laid out the party’s latest efforts to release information connected to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Johnson emphasized that House Republicans are committed to providing what he called “maximum transparency” while protecting victims whose lives were deeply affected by Epstein’s crimes.

Johnson also addressed what he described as a sudden shift in Democratic interest in the Epstein files. He noted that Democrats are now pressing aggressively for the release of the documents, despite the fact that the material had already been in the federal government’s possession for the entire duration of the Biden administration.

According to Johnson, this abrupt change in posture raises questions.

“The truth is, the loudest supporters of this discharge petition were never really focused on transparency or justice for the victims of Epstein’s evil acts,” he said. “How do we know that? Because Democrats had every one of the Epstein files for the full four years of the Biden Administration. The Department of Justice possessed the files the entire time, and none of the Democrats so animated today said a single word about it.”

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Johnson Questions Democrats’ Timing

The speaker placed this new interest in the context of what he described as a broader pattern of political reversals. He criticized Democrats for their handling of several major national issues throughout the Biden presidency, including the border, inflation, and concerns about President Biden’s health.

“For four long years under the Biden-Harris Administration, Democrats insisted there was no border crisis,” Johnson said. “They told Americans inflation was only temporary. They dismissed what the public could plainly see — that President Biden was experiencing an obvious mental and physical decline.”

He argued that Democrats’ approach to the Epstein investigation fit the same pattern.

“And now, seemingly overnight, this same cast of characters has taken an urgent interest in the Epstein files,” he continued. “None of them held press conferences. None of them pushed for these documents to be released. Even as the Biden DOJ prosecuted Epstein’s circle, including Ghislaine Maxwell, these same Democrats stayed completely silent.”

Johnson said it was reasonable for Americans to ask why the political shift was happening now, and what the motivation behind it might be.

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Republicans’ Push for Transparency, With Safeguards

Johnson emphasized that House Republicans were working “in earnest” to give the public a full accounting of Epstein’s activities and the role others may have played, but insisted that releasing the information recklessly could endanger victims.

“This was an unspeakable tragedy, and we have deep compassion for the victims,” Johnson said. “They deserve justice. That justice has been delayed far too long, but we cannot allow the process to harm them further.”

He said the House Oversight Committee has already undertaken a major bipartisan effort to release documentation and has produced far more material than the current Democratic-backed discharge petition requests.

“So far, more than 65,000 documents tied to Epstein have been released,” he said. “These include tens of thousands of pages from the Epstein Estate, flight logs, personal financial ledgers, daily calendars, and a huge range of related material.”

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Concerns Over the Discharge Petition

Johnson warned that the discharge petition being pushed by Democrats lacks essential protections for crime victims. He referenced concerns raised in court filings, including a letter from a victim urging judges to ensure sensitive identifying details remain concealed.

He also said the petition could force the release of “unverified or non-credible items,” which he argued risked severe consequences for people who may have been connected to Epstein only in passing, without participating in or knowing about his criminal behavior.

“Releasing names without context or corroboration could destroy the reputations of innocent people,” Johnson said.

Another concern Johnson raised was what he described as a legal flaw in the petition itself. He argued that it cites the wrong portion of federal law, potentially forcing the release of material that cannot legally be made public — including child sexual abuse content — because it would block the government from applying necessary redactions.

Johnson also warned the petition could accidentally reveal the identities of confidential informants, whistleblowers, and undercover law-enforcement personnel who were promised lifelong anonymity.

“Imagine the chilling effect that would have on future investigations,” he said. “No one would come forward.”

Finally, Johnson pointed to national security concerns. The petition demands sweeping declassification within a fixed time window, a move he said ignored long-established intelligence protocols.

“Declassification has always rested with the originating agency,” Johnson said. “This proposal would upend that system.”