Overview
- The discharge petition spearheaded by Rep. Thomas Massie has 217 signatures and is expected to hit the 218 threshold once Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva signs after taking the oath.
- The Senate passed a bill to reopen the government, and Johnson said on CNN he will swear Grijalva in before the House votes on that legislation, rejecting accusations he delayed her to stall the petition.
- The Justice Department and FBI said in July that no further Epstein records should be released after a memo found no evidence of a “client list,” a position a House vote would seek to override.
- Johnson contends the House Oversight Committee’s separate probe is already surfacing material, even as several Republicans have joined Democrats in backing the discharge petition.
- Analysts warn a release of records could have political consequences for figures in both parties, with the potential to put the White House on the defensive if damaging information emerges.