For years, Republicans and MAGA supporters demanded the release of investigative files related to the sex trafficking investigation of financier Jeffrey Epstein, convinced it would show wrongdoing at the highest levels of government.
But in July, President Donald Trump said it was a hoax — and suddenly, everything changed.
There was no better example than the political gyrations of U.S. House Republicans.
Days after Trump called GOP lawmakers “stupid” for pursuing the Epstein matter, House leaders did all they could to avoid votes on plans to release the Epstein files, scrapping legislative work and sending lawmakers home early for a summer break.
When Congress returned to work this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson did all he could to undermine a plan from U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., which mandated the release of Epstein documents within 30 days.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“He’s allegedly a social conservative,” Massie said of Johnson. “It seems to be very out of character for him to cover up for a sex trafficking ring.”
After decades of covering Congress, I tell people not to focus on what elected officials say but what they actually do. And when you think about what House GOP leaders have done on the Epstein files over the past few months, it has mainly been to run interference for Trump.
One of the few Republicans to defy Trump has been Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, who joined a Wednesday news conference at the U.S. Capitol with female victims of Epstein, as they told their emotional stories in public for the first time.
“These are unimaginable horrors that they’ve lived with for their entire lives,” Greene said.
Initially, Greene did not get a warm reception when she arrived, as protesters started heckling her. They were quickly quieted by one organizer.
“Guys!” the woman said urgently about Greene. “She does support releasing the files.”
Maybe the most notable moment came as Greene was giving her final comments.
“Here’s what I ask you in the press,” Greene said, praising the women who had told their Epstein stories. “Go for the truth.”
As Greene was saying those words, she had no idea that cable TV networks were switching down to the White House, where President Trump was being asked about Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019.
He sent Republicans a very clear message.
“This is a Democrat hoax that never ends,” Trump declared in the Oval Office. “They’re trying to get people to talk about something that is totally irrelevant.”
The Epstein case didn’t used to be irrelevant for Republicans until Trump told them to move along.
That still leaves one unanswered question: Why Trump wants the GOP to focus on something else.
Jamie Dupree has covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C. since the Reagan administration. His column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more, check out his Capitol Hill newsletter at http://jamiedupree.substack.com
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