Overview
- House GOP leadership announced that no votes are expected on Friday, Dec. 19, and that the week's final votes are now set for about 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18.
- The Epstein Transparency Act, passed with bipartisan support and signed in November, directs the Justice Department to post many records with only narrow redactions to protect victims or ongoing investigations.
- Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested Republicans advanced the recess to avoid the political fallout from the pending disclosures, a claim that drew pushback from critics online.
- Axios reporter Andrew Solender characterized the move as an early holiday break as members were told they could depart after Thursday.
- Coverage reiterated that President Donald Trump has not been accused or charged in connection with Epstein and that he denies wrongdoing.