TELL THE U.S. HOUSE: For months, the Trump administration has scrambled to avoid releasing the
Epstein files. Speaker Johnson is now delaying the swearing in of newly
elected Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who would be the majority-clinching
218th signature that would finally force a vote on releasing the files. A
government shutdown makes it easier for Trump and Johnson to hide from the
truth. Sign the petition: End the cover-up — force a vote on releasing the Epstein files!
[ [link removed]- ]ADD YOUR NAME
The central battle behind the government shutdown is Republicans’ effort
to cut health care spending. But Speaker Johnson and Trump get a benefit
from Congress screeching to a halt: they can keep avoiding a vote on
releasing the Epstein files.
A recent headline in New York Magazine reads, “Mike Johnson May Want a
Government Shutdown to Avoid Epstein Files Vote.”^1 The shutdown comes
just days after Speaker Johnson delayed swearing in newly elected
Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva, who has pledged to be the 218th
signature on the discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the
files.^2
Trump and Johnson will do everything they can to avoid transparency about
Epstein’s crimes and accomplices. Our lawmakers in the House must keep up
the pressure to force a vote and support the release of the files!
[ [link removed]- ]Sign the petition: Don’t let Trump hide. Force a House vote to release the
Epstein files!
[ [link removed]- ]ADD YOUR NAME
Trump was close friends with Epstein, and the FBI has redacted Trump’s
name from the files multiple times.^3,4 Speaker Johnson employed bogus
legislative maneuvers and abruptly closed the U.S. House for summer recess
to prevent a vote on the files.^5 People across the Trump administration
are enabling this cover-up.
Recently, FBI Director Kash Patel claimed that judges are blocking the
release of some key documents. But the judges disagree, and are calling
out the White House’s “hurried efforts” to “confuse the public.”^6 One
U.S. District Court judge said the Trump administration's move to limit
the release of certain grand jury material is a “diversion from the
breadth and scope of the Epstein files in the government’s possession.”^7
Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the lawmakers leading the discharge petition to
force a vote in Congress on releasing the files, said, “I believe that
Trump is trying to protect rich and powerful people who are his friends,
and that is why this material is not getting released.”^8 Trump is also
trying to protect himself.
The discharge petition has bipartisan support and is just one signature
away from taking a big step toward answering the calls of survivors,
advocates, and the public. Our lawmakers must release the files NOW.
[ [link removed]- ]Sign the petition: Urge your U.S. Representative to force a vote on
releasing the Epstein files! Thanks for taking action,
Joey and the Demand Progress team
[ [link removed]- ]DONATE
Sources:
1. NY Magazine, “Mike Johnson May Want a Government Shutdown to Avoid
Epstein Files Vote,” [ [link removed]- ]September 25, 2025.
2. Bloomberg, “The House Has a New Democrat — and a Shrinking GOP
Margin,” [ [link removed]- ]September 27, 2025.
3. Demand Progress, “Demand Progress Condemns Speaker Johnson’s New
Epstein Coverup,” [ [link removed]- ]September 2, 2025.
4. Bloomberg, “FBI Redacted Trump’s Name in Epstein Files for Privacy
Reasons,” [ [link removed]- ]August 1, 2025.
5. BBC, “US House speaker shuts down chamber to block Epstein vote,”
[ [link removed]- ]July 22, 2025.
6. Politico, “Kash Patel says court orders bar him from releasing the
Epstein files. Judges have said otherwise.” [ [link removed]- ]September 17, 2025.
7. Ibid.
8. The New Republic, “GOP Rep Rips Trump and Kash Patel for Covering Up
Epstein Files Case,” [ [link removed]- ]September 22, 2025.
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