Mike Johnson ‘in full panic’ as Dem win expected to force Epstein vote: GOP troublemaker

Congressman Thomas Massie from Kentucky said that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and other top Republicans were extremely worried after a Democrat won a special election in Arizona. This win meant that Massie was likely to get enough support to force a vote on whether to release secret government files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender.

Massie spoke at an event in Kentucky and explained that the recent victory by Democrat Adelita Grijalva in Arizona would give him the final vote he needed to reach 218 signatures on what’s called a “discharge petition.” This petition is a way to bypass regular leadership approval and force a vote in the House of Representatives.

So far, every Democrat in the House has already signed the petition, along with a few Republicans, including Nancy Mace from South Carolina, Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia, and Lauren Boebert from Colorado.

According to Massie, Republican leaders tried to get him and the other Republicans to withdraw their support. He said they didn’t use physical threats, but they did threaten political consequences—basically warning them that staying on the petition could hurt their careers or standing in the party.

Massie also said that Speaker Johnson probably won’t be able to block the vote using technical rules, because the public is too aware and interested in this issue. If Johnson tries to stop it, people would notice and accuse him of covering things up.

Massie expects the vote to happen soon. He thinks Johnson will likely allow some Republican lawmakers to vote in favor of the petition, even if they’re not fully on board, just to avoid more controversy. He called it an “80/20 issue,” meaning around 80% of the public supports releasing the Epstein files, so opposing it could be politically risky.