House Republicans pushed back Tuesday against media claims that they “blocked” the release of the Epstein files, calling the controversy a deliberate mischaracterization of a routine procedural vote.
The uproar began after Democrats attempted to insert an amendment into an unrelated crypto bill requiring the Department of Justice to compile and release documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. The move was tied to a vote on a procedural motion — known as a “previous question” or PQ — which, if passed, would have handed temporary control of the House floor to the Democrat minority.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene addressed the matter head-on in an interview, saying, “It’s being reported that House Republicans unanimously voted to block the release of the Epstein files — that is not true. I would vote ‘yes’ to release them in a heartbeat. This was a vote to stop Democrats from hijacking the floor.”
Greene explained that if Democrats had succeeded, they could have forced votes on far-left agenda items or even launched impeachment articles against President Trump.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna echoed the message. “This was a procedural vote. There was no language in the motion referencing Epstein. The idea that Republicans blocked transparency is dishonest spin.”
Despite these explanations, Democrat Rep. Jim McGovern claimed Luna was wrong and cited a forthcoming congressional record that shows the Epstein amendment text was tied to the motion.
The original Epstein amendment from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) failed in the Rules Committee on Monday, gaining support from only one Republican — Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC).
Meanwhile, President Trump expressed support for Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Epstein case and appeared to brush off the uproar, saying the focus should remain on his administration’s economic successes. “Let’s not waste time and energy on Jeffrey Epstein — somebody that nobody cares about,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Still, the pressure remains on Bondi to deliver. House Speaker Mike Johnson told The Benny Show that while the vote was misrepresented, he does support full transparency and urged Bondi to clarify what happened after months of promises that major disclosures were coming.
In the meantime, Republicans insist they remain committed to exposing any criminal activity connected to Epstein — but won’t allow Democrats to hijack House proceedings to score political points.