Speaker Johnson Speaks With Reporters About The Controversy Around The Epstein Files

Forbes Breaking News

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) spoke with reporters on Wednesday about the Epstein files.

Transcript

00:00hey everybody got a few thoughts for you as we work through today yesterday some of you may have

00:09seen a false headline in the New York Times and the headline was terribly misleading it said House

00:14Republicans are quote adjourning until September to avoid a vote on releasing Epstein materials

00:20I just want you to know and everybody here knows that's an outright lie it's not true and they were

00:24forced to modify their headline and update it today the reason is we all know that's the initial

00:30lie travels much faster than the truth and so we're making sure that people know what is actually

00:35going on here I think every single one of your publications have known that the published

00:39schedule of Congress was decided in December of 2024 and it's been published ever since we are

00:45fulfilling the calendar we're working we'll be working tomorrow there have been votes every day

00:48this week we have nine or ten committees working through markups this week many tomorrow

00:54Congress is doing its work no one is adjourning early we have an August district work period that

00:59is very important to the function of Congress that has been recognized for all of memory of

01:04this institution and that is what everyone will be doing the Times is forced to change the headline

01:09because it was completely false no one in Congress is blocking Epstein documents no one in Congress is

01:15doing that what we're doing here Republicans are preventing Democrats from making a mockery of the

01:20rules committee process because we refuse to engage in their political charade that is what is happening

01:25and nothing more the way Democrats have tried to weaponize this issue is absolutely shameless and I just

01:31want to say this Democrats said nothing and did nothing absolutely nothing about bringing transparency

01:37for the entire four years the Biden presidency but now all of a sudden they want the American people to

01:42believe that they actually care their actions belied their words we will not be lectured on transparency by the

01:50the same party that orchestrated one of the most shameless dangerous political cover-ups in the history of the

01:55United States and that was President Biden's obvious mental decline House Republicans stand for maximum

02:01transparency and truth we always have and we always will we're in lockstep with President Trump and his

02:07administration on these this issue we are pushing for the release of all credible information to be released with

02:13regard to the Epstein matter I would note also that there are real issues legal issues with the Kanna

02:20resolution with the Massey resolution Kanna's has no protection whatsoever for the victims of these

02:26horrible unspeakable sex crimes and Massey's doesn't go far enough additionally the president has directed the

02:33Department of Justice to pursue the release of grand jury information and that is happening as we speak in fact the

02:38court is processing the DOJ's request for grand jury materials as we are standing here right now that's a very important

02:46step we'll evaluate any necessary measures that Congress needs to undertake when that process is completed I'm convinced the

02:54administration is thoroughly reviewing all materials and working to release all credible information while also providing

03:01protection for victims and I've been very clear and on the record many times that we have an obligation to do that a legal

03:07obligation and a moral obligation to protect the people who have been the victims of these unspeakable crimes so that their

03:12names are not drug through the mud that's a fine needle to thread and I'm convinced that the people who are in charge with

03:20this are doing it the right way judiciously the Trump administration is working through the court to unseal those

03:25documents most of the Epstein files are under court order and sealed so you have to go through that route to do it all that

03:33credible information needs to come out but they deserve the space to do that in the way that it is supposed

03:37to be done and they are a thorough judicious meticulous review to truly protect innocent people who suffer

03:43in the meantime on a much brighter note the house Republicans are looking forward to going back to their

03:48districts they have a lot to be proud of and a lot of good news to share back home it's just six months

03:54six months of this administration in this Congress we work closely with President Trump we've delivered on the mandate

04:00from the American people we have the safest border now in the history of the country inflation is cooling we passed one of

04:08the most consequential pieces of legislation in the history of this institution the one big beautiful bill and what that did as

04:13you know was it secured the largest tax cut for American workers the largest single investment in border security and

04:18national defense in generations the largest reduction in spending in the history of any government on planet Earth and much more

04:25president Trump is making historic trade deals to balance the playing field and bring trillions of

04:30dollars of investment into America as a side note I was telling you I was in the Oval Office last night for the historic

04:35moment where he made the trade deal with Japan there's really something to see I'll write a book about it one day the art of the

04:41deal is a master class we passed over 250 bills we voted to codify 50 of President Trump's executive actions and we're just

04:48getting started he has signed into law so far important legislation like the Lake and Riley Act the Halt Fentanyl Act the Take It Down Act

04:55the Genius Act and of course the nine billion dollar rescissions package in just six months President Trump and

05:01House Republicans have made safer stronger and more prosperous America we have worked to do that fulfilling our campaign

05:07promises and there's much more to come and during the district work period we'll be crisscrossing our districts and

05:13sharing with constituents the impact of all that hard work here on Capitol Hill so I'll just conclude this and take a couple

05:19questions by saying as we break apart here now to go home for the district work period there's a lot to share with our

05:27constituents a lot to share a lot of good news and we're looking forward to everyone feeling the positive effects of the work that's been

05:33done here so far Mr. Speaker based on what can I just ask you do you feel like your Republican conference

05:39has gotten away from you on this Epstein issue you saw yesterday Comer announcing that there are is going

05:46to be a subpoena for Galeen Maxwell do you support the House Oversight Committee's work and do you support

05:52the work of your members who do want more transparency of course look there's no daylight between members of

05:57the House Republican Conference or for that matter between us and the White House I fully support my committee

06:02chairs Jamie Comer is a trusted friend he's an excellent chairman of the Oversight Committee and

06:06he has a duty and responsibility to follow the truth where it leads and so every single one of us are for

06:10maximum transparency and we'll use every power that we have to ensure that that's done if they see fit to

06:16bring in Galeen Maxwell for testimony that's fine I will note the obvious concern the caveat that

06:22Chairman Comer and I and everyone has that could she be counted on to tell the truth is she a credible

06:27witness I mean this is a person who's been sentenced to many many years in prison for terrible

06:32unspeakable conspiratorial acts and acts against innocent young people I mean can we trust what

06:38she's going to say even if she raises her hand and says that she'll testify under oath is that

06:42something that can be trusted you know that's a reasonable question is that credible evidence I

06:46don't know but we'll have to see we have to you know uncover everything that we can and let the

06:51American people evaluate is there concern I mean obviously we've seen the conservatives shut down

06:55the house floor routinely you saw that you have to pull the rule because of fear of Epstein votes

06:59no we don't have any fear no no hold on no Reese no there's no fear here no there's no fear there's

07:05no fear we're not going to allow the Democrats to use this as a political country remember they

07:10had four years remember hold on the Biden administration held the Epstein files for four years not a single

07:15one of these Democrats or anyone in Congress made any people about that at all they could have

07:20brought a discharge petition at any point in the last four years they chose not to they waited until

07:24President Trump was elected I think that's very suspect and I will not allow the house to be

07:30drug into political games there's no point in having a vote today because the administration is

07:44already doing everything within their power to release them they've gone to the grand jury they've

07:48requested the courts to unseal the documents so that they can be released the president himself

07:54has said all credible evidence should be put out to the American people while protecting the innocent

07:58that's where we stand as well there's no point in in passing a resolution to urge the administration

08:03to do something that they are already doing and so that's why we're going to let that process play

08:08out it this this is not out of out of fear in any way what we're trying to do is maximize

08:14transparency and and and stand for the truth we want wait let me say it's very important we want

08:19every single person who is involved in any way in the Epstein evils to be brought to swift justice we

08:25want the full weight of the law to fall upon their head and I will do everything within my power to make

08:30sure that it's possible that process is underway right now and we'll see how it plays out using the

08:36phrase that there's no daylight between you and the White House don't you have a responsibility to build

08:41some daylight between you and the White House you are a leader of a co-equal branch of government isn't

08:46part of what your members are concerned about is that there needs to be a second set of eyes I'm

08:51I'm the leader of the most important branch of government in my view it is article one and if

08:55I see that article one and our authority is being breached in any way I'll act upon it I'm a jealous

08:59guardian of our responsibility here our constitutional authority and and that most important branch of

09:04government in a government of buying for the people but I will tell you this right now when I say

09:08there's no daylight between me and the president we talk about this privately he's spoken about it

09:12publicly I have as well he's trying to achieve the same exact objective that we are that every

09:16member of the House Republican conference wants to achieve and that is to let the American people

09:20decide this this information should have come out a long time ago I've been an advocate of that we

09:24all have but that process is underway right now now we've got to jealously guard that and protect it

09:30and make sure it's happening and if it doesn't then we'll take appropriate action when everybody returns

09:34here but we have to allow the court process to play out that's how it works I used to be a litigator

09:38there is a standard here a legal standard that everybody cannot forget the courts law enforcement

09:43and government agencies have to protect the innocent and the way you do that is you you are very careful

09:49not to release names of victims or release it in a haphazard manner so that their names could be

09:54unmasked in some way because it would destroy their lives and and anybody who's been brought swept up into

09:59that so that's what the Justice Department is doing I think they're doing a deliberate job right now and

10:04our job is the article one branch is to allow the executive to do that if it doesn't come to

10:10fruition then we will act but we have to allow that time to process

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