NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

US House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans break with US President over Epstein

By Marianna Sotomayor
Washington Post·
15 Jul, 2025 11:26 PM8 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) waded into the fight over the Epstein files today, calling on them to be released, in a break with US President Donald Trump. Photo / Tom Brenner, for the Washington Post

House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) waded into the fight over the Epstein files today, calling on them to be released, in a break with US President Donald Trump. Photo / Tom Brenner, for the Washington Post

One of the leading Republicans on Capitol Hill broke with the Trump Administration’s decision not to release the files of deceased sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein today.

The controversy deepened in the United States over the handling of an issue that has caused unprecedented division among the GOP base.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson that he supported the release of the Epstein files days after President Donald Trump’s Justice Department said the matter was effectively closed.

Johnson is a close Trump ally and has never broken so publicly with the President on an issue.

“I’m for transparency,” Johnson told Benny Johnson. “It’s a very delicate subject but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

At the same time as Johnson publicly called for the files to be released, he opposed a procedural motion advanced by Democrats that would have set up a House vote to release them.

On the podcast, Johnson said that Attorney-General Pam Bondi “needs to come forward and explain” the confusion she’s brewed after she stated in interviews earlier this year that the purported Epstein “client list” was sitting on her desk for review, suggesting it would be released.

Bondi and other Justice Department officials now say the “client list” - which some claim would reveal the names of powerful figures who allegedly participated in Epstein’s crimes - doesn’t exist.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“I like Pam, I think she’s done a good job, but we need the DOJ focusing on the major priorities, he said. “I’m anxious to put this behind us.”

The rift with the Trump Administration over an issue near to the heart of his Maga base suggests that the roiling debate over Epstein is far from over.

Many of the President’s supporters believed him when they were promised that once he was restored to the White House, his Administration would release the files Trump long claimed his predecessor was hiding. Now, they are angry.

Trump is backing Bondi and has called for his supporters to move on.

Today, Trump said Bondi gave him “a very quick briefing” on the Epstein documents before baselessly blaming previous Democratic administrations for creating the files.

“We’ve gone through years of [attacks], but she’s handled it very well, and it’s going to be up to her,” Trump said in defence of Bondi. “Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.”

Johnson’s interview was released moments after Democrats nearly won a significant victory on the House floor that would have forced the Trump Administration to release the Epstein files.

If Republicans had not blocked the procedural motion, they would have been forced to vote on a measure to release the Epstein files sponsored by Representative Ro Khanna (Democrat-California) and supported by House Democratic leadership.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Democrat-New York) called for transparency on the issue yesterday, saying the “American people deserve to know the truth”.

“If you’re not hiding anything, prove that to the American people,” Jeffries said at his weekly news conference.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“And if you are trying to hide something, as many of Donald Trump’s Maga supporters apparently believe, then the Congress should work hard to uncover the truth for the American people.”

Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Republican-Minnesota) and his team were seen working to convince holdouts from the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, who appeared willing to join with Democrats to approve the Khanna resolution, which would have required the Justice Department to preserve and release all documents related to Epstein.

Representative Andrew Clyde (Republican-Georgia) was seen yelling at Emmer’s floor director before voting to block the resolution. Representative Andy Biggs (Republican-Arizona) chose not to cast a vote after Emmer spent minutes talking to him.

GOP leaders immediately closed the vote after they notched enough GOP support to block the resolution from moving forward, prompting Representative Becca Balint (Democrat-Vermont) to yell towards Republicans, “Come on, we need the files!”

Several House Republicans want the Epstein files to be released but did not want to join Democrats in forcing the issue.

Instead, they hope to convince their colleagues to press the issue further, according to several lawmakers who were granted anonymity to discuss private and ongoing conversations.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The episodes marks a pivot in the fight around the Epstein files and shines a spotlight on the cracks among Republicans.

The controversy blew up last week after Bondi released a memo denying the existence of an Epstein “client list”, validating a Biden-era Justice Department report that Epstein died by suicide and declaring that the Trump Administration would release no more documents on the matter.

Backlash from some prominent corners of Trump’s base was fast and brutal.

Some high-profile Democrats have also joined the fray, sensing that a perceived lack of transparency is quickly becoming a problem for Republicans in Congress who have long demanded answers on Epstein.

“It has clearly been a very serious situation for the Administration and many people are speaking out online,” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (Republican-Georgia) told CNN yesterday.

“A lot of people in Maga really want to know more information about the people that were involved with Jeffrey Epstein.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Democrats are attacking the issue from all sides, with some introducing legislation demanding the Administration release the files, while others have tucked language into a spending bill to ensure documents related to Epstein are preserved.

And in perhaps the most humorous plea for sunlight, Representative Hank Johnson (Democrat-Georgia) posted a video of himself on X playing the guitar and singing a rendition of the indie song Dreamsicle about the saga.

“Epstein died by suicide. Believe that and you must be blind,” Johnson crooned. “Trump’s howling at the moon. Release the Epstein files soon.”

Democrats clearly see the opening and are using the little power they have in the congressional minority to try to exert influence.

They are putting GOP colleagues in a tough spot, forced to vote on the record against releasing files Republicans have long demanded without launching their own investigations into the matter.

It was the second vote on Khanna’s amendment calling on Bondi to release all documents related to Epstein. It was earlier rejected by the House Rules panel, where it received support from Representative Ralph Norman (Republican-South Carolina), a member of the Freedom Caucus.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Representative Marc Veasey (Democrat-Texas) also yesterday introduced a resolution demanding the Trump Administration release related files and force relevant House committees to investigate a possible cover up, among other measures.

It’s unlikely to be taken up for a floor vote by a GOP majority, and a similarly worded amendment was rejected by the House Rules Committee.

Veasey said that unlike other conspiracy theories Trump and the Maga orbit have pushed in the past, “people are taking this seriously”.

“Democrats think that there’s something in these files. Maga voters think there’s something in these files, and when you have that large of a collective voice in the American constituency … then release the files,” he said.

Today, 18 House Judiciary Committee Democrats joined Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (Democrat-Maryland) in sending a four-page letter to chairman Jim Jordan (Republican-Ohio), a Trump acolyte, asking him to hold a bipartisan hearing on “the Trump Administration’s recent handling of the Epstein matter”, including testimony from Bondi and other officials at the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigations.

In the Senate, Senator Chris Van Hollen (Democrat-Maryland) offered an amendment - which was unanimously inserted into a spending bill by the Senate Appropriations Committee - that would force the Justice Department to preserve any evidence related to the Epstein investigation.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It’s unclear, however, if the underlying legislation will pass the Senate and be adopted in the House.

Other Democrats have chosen trolling and theatrics as a tactic.

The Democratic National Committee created an X account asking, “Has Trump released the Epstein files?” Each day it posts “No”.

House Majority PAC, the fundraising arm for House Democrats, immediately launched the “GOP Epstein Simps Target List”, focused on politically vulnerable Republicans on social media who supported blocking Khanna’s measure - despite having previously called for the release of the Epstein files.

Democratic lawmakers and aides say that there is no co-ordinated strategy to amplify the issue, but that they have noticed that their messaging is breaking through for once and they are looking to exploit a mess of the Republicans own making.

House Democrats in particular are betting that by forcing the issue, they can show the American public that they would conduct oversight of the Trump Administration if they win back the majority and are committed to holding billionaires and corrupt politicians to account.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“We’re taking this populist sentiment in the country and say, ‘No, the rebirth of the Democratic Party, the ‘new Democratic Party’ is going to be the party that’s going to hold the elites accountable and be on the side of transparency and reform,” Khanna said.

“We’re willing to call out the establishment, even if they’re the establishment on our side.”

It’s unclear how Democrats will continue to force the issue. Most Republicans believe that the issue will resolve itself, but Democrats aren’t convinced.

“I think most of us believe what’s appropriate will be released when it is time for the president to release it,” Rules Committee chairwoman Virginia Foxx (Republican-North Carolina) said.

“I don’t have the same confidence you do given the flip flopping we’ve seen,” Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the panel, said. “I need a neck brace.”

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Blaze at Iraqi shopping centre claims 50-plus victims, injures dozens

World

Chinese farmer makes splash with homemade submarine

World

How Taiwan is preparing for potential conflict with China


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Blaze at Iraqi shopping centre claims 50-plus victims, injures dozens
World

Blaze at Iraqi shopping centre claims 50-plus victims, injures dozens

The shopping centre had opened just five days before the fire.

17 Jul 07:53 AM
Chinese farmer makes splash with homemade submarine
World

Chinese farmer makes splash with homemade submarine

17 Jul 06:24 AM
How Taiwan is preparing for potential conflict with China
World

How Taiwan is preparing for potential conflict with China

17 Jul 05:47 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP