Just after House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home early on Wednesday due to disagreements among GOP members over the release of documents linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Republican Representative Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania hosted the second town hall of his legislative career.
The freshman lawmaker, who represents a competitive swing seat in northeast Pennsylvania, returned home to questions about the release of Department of Justice files from the Epstein probe. In a two-page document earlier this month, the DOJ declared that it had not discovered any proof that Epstein had a “client list” and that no further details would be made public. Given that the Epstein files have long been the subject of conspiracy theories stoked by President Trump and members of his administration, the conclusions did little to slake interest in learning more.
In response to a caller on his telephone town hall asking whether he believes Trump is on Epstein’s “client list” and whether it should be made public, Mackenzie stated that if the White House does not take further action, he would back efforts to make the DOJ files on the embattled financier public.
“The Trump administration has now been in office for six months,” Mackenzie stated. “I’m aware that they haven’t revealed as much as I would like to see so far, but perhaps they will. And if not, Congress might intervene and force them to do so because, once more, the American people are entitled to complete transparency and knowledge of what is contained in those papers, and we will eventually arrive at that point.”
Trump attempted to quell criticism of the DOJ’s findings earlier this month by attacking some of his fans who had voiced mistrust of the probe into Epstein and his 2019 death, which was determined to be a suicide. Grand jury records pertaining to the Epstein investigation have been sought by the DOJ in recent weeks. Additionally, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is incarcerated in a federal prison for her assistance in Epstein’s sexual abuse of minor children, met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in Tallahassee on Thursday.
Democratic organizations have targeted Mackenzie and other Republican politicians, claiming that the Epstein scandal is causing division within the GOP and that it is a political liability for Republicans.
Three Republicans, including Rep. Scott Perry, who represents another vulnerable Pennsylvania seat, voted in favor of the successful motion presented by Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., to subpoena the records in a House subcommittee.
Perry also backs the motion that House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the chamber one day early, which was offered by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and calls for the release of the DOJ information.
Perry said on X that “we now have individuals from outside of our district (and even State) flooding the Tele-Town Hall RSVP page and my office lines.” Perry also revised the details of his own telephone town hall on Tuesday night, indicating that his staff would call those who wanted to attend.
Perry retorted that he had personally requested further information, while one of the people who were able to join the call accused Perry and Republicans of avoiding the Epstein conversation.
“I have requested that the DOJ and you can see the letter publicly — that the DOJ release the files [and] not only that, [that] they also provide a special prosecutor for the Epstein circumstances as well as other things abuses of government where information is being hidden from the American people,” Perry stated.
Lawmakers are dealing with comparable issues even in even strong Republican districts. During a telephone town hall earlier this week, Representative Eli Crane of Arizona gave an explanation of why he backed Massie’s proposal.
Crane, who backs Massie’s measure, stated, “I think transparency should be the hallmark of every administration whether they’re Democrat or Republican.”
“MAGA voters are furious” and demand greater information over the Epstein investigation, Republican strategist Rina Shah told NPR this week, calling it a drama that “won’t go away.”
“Come September, if they hit 218 signatures, the House will vote, and it’ll be a defining moment: Is the Republican Party going to double down on transparency and risk embarrassing elites, or will it protect the establishment?” she stated. “This is a question. The party may change as a result of this dispute, determining whether it is still governed by antiquated Washington conventions or is genuinely the party of the people.
This report was provided to by Michel Marizco, Senior Editor at KJZZ.
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