House Republicans head home for recess, sure to face Epstein questions when they get there
House lawmakers ran to catch flights Wednesday afternoon -- leaving for their August recess a day early -- without taking a substantive vote on releasing the Epstein files.
On their way out the door, some Republicans acknowledged they're bracing for serious Epstein-related questions from the MAGA base when they get home.
"If you ask my staff, which I do all the time, what's the number one phone call that we're getting? This topic is the number one reason that people call," Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said.
Several Republican members who spent years hyping up the Epstein case remained restrained in criticizing the White House's handling of the matter.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said the administration has done more to investigate the matter and provide transparency.
Asked if the White House promised more than it has delivered, Luna replied, "They have asked for that unsealing. The court denied it, which I would say that the court needs to put that out there. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're done with it."
Members of the House Oversight Committee are preparing to briefly interrupt their break for a trip to a federal prison in Florida on Aug. 11 after the panel formally subpoenaed Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell Wednesday for a deposition.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who pushed to compel Maxwell's testimony, called her a "liar" and a "dirtbag."
Asked why subpoena her if she can't be trusted, Burchett said, "Well, because the one thing we got holding over her head is, if we find out she lies, she goes back to her original sentence, and that's looking at lifetime. And if she's looking at maybe parlaying this into reducing her sentence, then we could have some leverage there."
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has gone farthest among Republicans in criticizing Trump's handling of the issue, said he believes the president is hurtling toward a potential breaking point with his base.
"The Epstein thing is symbolic, and it encapsulates why people were so excited to vote for Trump. And so it's not going to go away over August. I think it'll get stronger," Massie told us.
"The MAGA base, they voted for a Republican majority, and they voted for Donald Trump to be president, to reach the untouchables, because there's always been this class of people that seems to be above and beyond the law. And so the Epstein files are about reaching those people," Massie said.
Massie confirmed he won't back away from his effort to procedurally force a vote on releasing Epstein records when the House comes back after Labor Day.
Asked if he thought the MAGA base could wait until after the recess for answers, Massie replied, "They shouldn't have to wait another day."
Meanwhile, Democrats are reveling in the GOP infighting.
When asked about claims Trump was delaying the release of Epstein documents because his name appears in the files as The Wall Street Journal reported, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., pounced.
"I am shocked. Based on his behavior over the last 10 days, I can't believe he's in the files. Who would have ever guessed that?" he asked sarcastically.
