Washington: In a nationally-televised interview on Sunday, Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, declared that the forthcoming disclosure of Department of Justice files tied to convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein is an opportunity to clear the air. “There’s nothing to hide,” Johnson said, as he pressed for the documents’ release to neutralize what he described as partisan attacks aimed at Donald Trump.
Johnson accused congressional Democrats of leveraging the Epstein material solely to target Trump. “They’re doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not,” he said, adding: “Let’s just get this done and move on.”
Although a photograph from decades ago captures Trump and Epstein in the same frame, Trump has consistently maintained the two parted ways well before Epstein’s legal troubles. The recent release of some 20,000 pages of Epstein-related documents by House Democrats includes emails in which Epstein claims Trump “knew about the girls” and “spent hours at my house” with one of his victims.
The battle over disclosure has exposed deep fissures within the Republican Party. On one side, Speaker Johnson and other party leaders move to control the timing and scope of the release; on the other, GOP lawmakers like Marjorie Taylor Greene are demanding full transparency. Greene, who once enjoyed Trump’s full support, was publicly disowned by the former president late last week after she criticized the handling of the files.
In his remarks, Johnson acknowledged that the House is expected to hold a vote next week on legislation to compel the Justice Department to release all unclassified files connected to the Epstein case. The move comes amidst mounting pressure from both Democrats and a segment of Republicans who fear being seen as obstructing transparency especially with the 2026 election cycle approaching.
Analysts say the ramifications of the Epstein file saga are wider than legal disclosure alone. For Trump, still a dominant force in Republican politics and eyeing a potential 2028 presidential run, the spectre of Epstein-related associations continues to loom. For the GOP, how the party navigates this issue could redefine its messaging on accountability, justice, and the balance between protecting allies and maintaining institutional integrity.
As Johnson put it: “The poor remind us that there can be no peace without justice.” While that phrase originally came from a separate papal remark, its spirit resonates here: transparency, accountability and responsiveness to public trust remain at the heart of this unfolding chapter in U.S. politics.