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House Speaker Mike Johnson Announces Early Recess to Avoid Vote on Epstein Files

HeadlineJul 23, 2025

On Capitol Hill, Speaker Mike Johnson is adjourning the House of Representatives for their summer recess a day early, thwarting Democratic-led efforts to force Republicans into voting on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. This comes after Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said an FBI source revealed that in March about 1,000 FBI agents were instructed to review some 100,000 Epstein-related records and to “flag” any that also mention President Trump. On Tuesday, Trump’s Justice Department said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will soon meet Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. She’s currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein groom, recruit and abuse underage girls. Blanche was President Trump’s private defense lawyer before his appointment to the Department of Justice. Meanwhile, CNN has published newly discovered photos confirming for the first time that Epstein attended Trump’s wedding to his second wife, Marla Maples, in 1993. CNN also published video showing Trump and Epstein together at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show in 1999.

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