House Speaker Mike Johnson is caught in a political storm that could pit him directly against Donald Trump, with fallout centered on the fight over the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files. Earlier in the day, Johnson tried to sidestep the brewing controversy by sending lawmakers home a day early for their five-week summer recess, hoping to stall momentum on the issue. Instead, the move may have backfired, giving Democrats and a handful of breakaway Republicans more time to secure the final vote needed to force action.
That crucial vote is expected to come from Arizona, where Adelita Grijalva is widely predicted to win a special election to succeed her late father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva. The district is solidly Democratic — Trump lost there by more than 20 points in the last election — and Grijalva has already signaled that she’ll back her party on the Epstein petition. Her win would also align her with several rebellious Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, and Lauren Boebert, who have broken from leadership and joined the push for transparency.
If the petition succeeds, Johnson will be forced to decide whether to step in and block it — a move likely to protect Trump but risk alienating members of his own caucus — or allow a full House vote that could compel the Justice Department to release extensive Epstein-related documents. These would include all investigative records, with limited redactions to shield victims’ identities.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed the push as a “Democrat hoax,” and Johnson has been working for months to contain the controversy on his behalf. Behind closed doors, he has admitted to Republicans that he doesn’t plan to strong-arm the Rules Committee into shutting down the petition, especially after suffering setbacks in that arena before. According to Politico, some of his allies now believe the outcome is inevitable. Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia even conceded that the fight is effectively lost, saying there may be no choice but to let the matter go to the floor.
For Johnson, the situation presents no easy options. Blocking the petition could spark internal rebellion, while letting it proceed risks angering Trump and igniting a broader political firestorm. Either way, the coming days could prove decisive for both his speakership and his relationship with the Trump White House.
