Inside the House Republican-led plot to defy Trump on the Epstein files

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is moving forward with plans to force a vote on requiring the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, despite attempts by President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to dampen his efforts.Why it matters: The push by Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has proven popular in Congress, with most Democrats and some on the GOP's right flank supporting it.Democrats spent the week repeatedly trying to force a vote on Khanna's measure to force the Justice Department to place the Epstein files on a publicly accessible website within 30 days.Nearly a dozen House Republicans were co-sponsoring a similar bill introduced by Massie and sponsored by Khanna as of early Friday morning.Driving the news: After numerous unsuccessful efforts to swat away the Epstein issue, President Trump announced Thursday that he had directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release grand jury transcripts in the Epstein case.Johnson, meanwhile, had the House Rules Committee prepare a nonbinding resolution that calls on the Justice Department to release all information pertaining to Epstein — a way to address the issue while minimizing backlash from Trump.But the House speaker hasn't committed to holding a vote on that measure, telling reporters: "We'll determine what happens with all that. There's a lot developing."What they're saying: Massie told Axios those concessions aren't sufficient and that he still plans to move forward with his discharge petition, which forces a House vote on his binding bill if it is signed by 218 members.As with his 2015 push to depose then-House Speaker John Boehner, Massie said he intentionally timed it so that the vote could be forced shortly after the lengthy August recess.Massie said of his colleagues: "You're going to fundraisers, you're going to town halls, you're going to the grocery store, you're going to the beach — you're going to hear from people.""When they come back, I think there will be a big appetite for signing the discharge petition, which is why I have encouraged people to co-sponsor it before they go on recess," he added. "Otherwise, they're going to get the question, 'Why haven't you supported this already?'"Between the lines: With most if not all Democrats and at least 10 Republicans expected to sign, the discharge petition will likely obtain the necessary signatures to force a vote.The real question is whether Johnson will once again employ the procedural maneuver he used in April to kill a discharge petition allowing House members who are new parents to vote by proxy for several months.In that case, Republicans eventually folded and reached a compromise with Johnson. Massie said he is not worried, however, because "that affected 435 people ... and the Epstein sex trafficking ring is a lot bigger than that."Similarly, Khanna told Axios: "Being allowed to vote in the House is important. But the release of the Epstein files, to the MAGA base, matters 100 times more to them. So I think it's a totally different situation."Yes, but: Some Republicans who signed onto the discharge petition demurred on the question of whether they would agree to a compromise."I'll just have to strategize with Thomas and Marjorie [Taylor Greene]," said Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.).Said Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.): "I haven't thought that far through the strategy piece yet. I just wanted to get on that resolution because I do believe transparency is important."Other right-wing hardliners are using GOP leadership's nonbinding resolution as cover not to sign, arguing that Trump won't sign a bill with the actual force of law like the Massie-Khanna measure.Said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas): "If you're the president of the United States, and you're trying to, I don't know, enforce separation of powers, then you go, 'Well, I'm not going to sign this.' So you wouldn't expect the president to sign that."What's next: GOP leadership is considering cancelling votes next week, in part to delay Massie's efforts. Johnson told reporters on Friday that Republicans remain unified on the issue, despite Democratic efforts to sow division within the party."We will see how all this develops. We're in line with the White House, there's no daylight between us. We want transparency, and I think that will be delivered for the people," he said.

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