House Speaker Mike Johnson is calling his do-nothing Republican conference back to Washington, D.C., as a vote to end the longest government shutdown in history could take place any day.
And while the shutdown’s end may frustrate Democratic voters who wanted to see their party extract more concessions from the GOP, there is a silver lining: The long-awaited vote to force President Donald Trump’s administration to release the Epstein files is now on the horizon.
When the House returns, Johnson will finally swear in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who has been waiting to take the oath of office since winning her special election on Sept. 23.
Seemingly, Johnson has declined to swear Grijalva in because she will be the 218th signature on a petition to force a vote on a bill that would require Trump’s Justice Department to release its files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Johnson does not want the vote to happen because it will force Republicans to either do what Trump wants and protect Epstein’s rumored clients, or vote to release the files and elicit Dear Leader's wrath.
Trump does not want the Epstein files released because his name is reportedly littered throughout the documents.
Trump and Epstein were close friends for years. And Trump seems to have known about Epstein's pedophilia, saying publicly that Epstein liked girls "on the younger side" and even reportedly alluded to secrets the two men had together in a vile birthday note, which has since been made public.
The vote will be a major media story, with Republicans put in a lose-lose situation that will generate negative headlines—either because they voted to protect an accused sex trafficker or because Trump will likely go after GOP defectors.
Grijalva, for her part, said on Monday that she was traveling to Washington, D.C., in preparation of being sworn in.
"This delay never should have happened in the first place," Grijalva—who has been publicly campaigning for Johnson to swear her in—said in a statement. "For seven weeks, 813,000 Arizonans have been denied a voice and access to basic constituent services. This is an abuse of power that no Speaker should have."
As for the Epstein files vote, discharge petitions are complicated and have an arcane timeline. But according to Politico, the petition will force a vote “likely in early December.”
Johnson could’ve ripped off the bandage of this Epstein vote months ago. Instead, he is now giving Democrats a gift of a favorable news cycle in the middle of the holiday season—when news often slows down.
Great job, Mike!
Emily Singer November 10, 2025 at 11:30PM From Daily Kos
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