Republicans shut down House floor to avoid Epstein vote

The Democrats are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. There’s nothing there, nothing of importance, and the Trump administration has already asked the courts to start working on the release, so there’s no point in the House getting involved anyway.
This is such a non-issue that the Republicans have shut down the entire legislative session and won’t vote on any of their own bills until September. Again, Democrats are just trying to make a show out of nothing, which is why blocking it is the Republicans’ top priority. Their work would be redundant anyway, which is why the Republicans are so unafraid to vote on it that everyone just up and left.
On an unrelated note, my favorite local restaurant is so clean and compliant with all regulations that when visited by the food inspector they turned out the lights, locked all the doors, and refused to serve any food again until the health department leaves. As one does when they’re unafraid and have nothing to hide.
- Dear diary,
  Today someone was sarcastic on Lemmy and people liked it. Big day for the fediverse.
  
  I literally looked at the upvote as I was reading and had to question if it was sarcasm because it hadn't been downvote into oblivion...
  
  fr. I've actually been surprised by how little people around here seem to understand sarcasm
  
  They were clear about it. Most people just write a bad take that reasonably suffers from Poe’s law and call it satire when everyone else gets mad.
- You had me in the first 2/3 there
- Had me in the 1st half, ngl
- Relevant WKUK
- Please tell me you're being sarcastic.
  
  I take it you didn’t finish reading?
  
  Read the whole comment instead of jumping to conclusions.

“Christian” Mike Johnson doing his best to give cover to pedophiles. Wonder if him and his son discuss these sins at bedtime together while going over their porn monitoring.
- Those quotation marks are unnecessary. This is hardly unusual behavior for a Christian.
  I’ve never met a Christian, who actually embodied Christian values. Every one of them, especially the more religious of them, is a lying bigoted hypocrite, who only gives a shit about themselves and their own family. Maybe I’ve met the wrong kind of Christians, but there it is.
  I have, however, met a great deal of atheists, who, in fact, do embody what Christians proselytize as their values. Kindness, acceptance, understanding, a duty to help others… in my life, the worst people I’ve ever met were strongly religious. And the best people I’ve ever met were atheists.
  ¯(ツ)_/¯
  
  Completely agree with this. To be "Christian" is to embrace this concept of an in-crowd and an out-crowd; if you're not part of "my" crowd you can literally go to fucking hell and my omnipotent God-ruler is going to make sure you're punished eternally if you don't do what I say.
  Being a shitty person is baked in at the deepest foundation of being Christian, and probably most types of religion tbh.
  
  I’ve never met a Christian, who actually embodied Christian values.
  I actually have. They are rarer than crow's teeth though.
  I agree that the atheists I know are generally better people, cheat less, have fewer criminal records, etc...
  
  You know that people being in your face about something doesnt automatically mean they are serious about it and vice versa, people not being in your face about something doesn't mean they aren't serious about it.
- ..but Dad, furry femboys aren't real, so they can't be a sin.
- Those quotation marks doing the lords work, false idols the lot of em!

Can you imagine how much better off we'd be if they were this determined to do any positive thing at all in their careers?

Well that pretty much confirms it
- I’ll take actions that confirms guilt for $400, Alex.

The GOP till about a week ago: “we need to release the files!” The GOP now: “ we need to protect the philes!”
- 😂... What a time to be alive...
- Been way more than a week, so it’s nice to see that they’re struggling to get this one to go away. Good momentum, the US needs to keep it up.
  
  Yes definitely we need to spread the word and post it everywhere, make signs, call the radio stations if people still do that.

It's actually better if they can't pass their shitty Republican bills. Democrats should just keep nagging about this. Either they actually have to address it, or the Republicans block themselves.
- Epstining is the new filibuster
- They are doing more damage with all their other nefarious shit going around or ignoring Congress/judges/scotus/etc, we're still in a really, really fucked up place right now and it's still only going to get worse for the average person.
  It'll take at least the next 2-4 years to start to show tangible devastating affects that will get millions of Americans killed with stripping away healthcare, food/snap programs, children's cancer research being scrapped, and a list of 100 other programs being cut, gutted,or flat out just gone now and some of those programs may never come back. Shit ain't over just cuz Congress put their feet up on the desk. Stay sharp, stay focused.
  
  Oh, we're absolutely fucked for at least a generation. I'm just thinking harm reduction.
- Honestly, I was thinking the same thing. The GOP are really up against rock and hard place.
  
  Nice turn of events considering they usually are the hard place.

Guardians Of Pedophiles

May as well hire a skywriter to put “TRUMP RAPED KIDS” above the Capitol.
- Can we crowdfund this?
  
  Inb4 citizenship taken away
- I wish. There's a permanent restricted airspace around the capitol. In the before times, an unauthorized aircraft would get in serious trouble with the FAA. Nowadays with the sycophantic dictator in charge, who knows what could happen.
  But it'd be a damn cool way to say your last words.
  
  Bro if you're flying in restricted airspace near govt buildings you know what happens. You get intercepted by a fighter jet and either have a friendly escort out of the restricted area or you make friends with a missile and get obliterated.
  I would not recommend trying to find out which will happen.
  On a related note:
  I've been wondering if drones could be adapted to essentially act as glide bombs that could operate without direct control input. Those probably would get around most protections especially if they had a glide slope that they'd stay on if their systems were jammed electronically. Like they get launched, fly to whatever altitude they need to be at to take a long glide down, and just go for pre programmed coordinates.
  That's probably something the war in Ukraine has either made a thing or it was tried and found to be dumb but I've not done research on it.
  It's not like civilians are gonna get their hands on true missiles and launch systems. But civies could find a way to put together some drones packed with explosives pretty easily I imagine.

Eveyone: We want you to release the pedo files
Trump: What if we release the pedophiles instead?

I've always wondered why politicians get a massive break in the summer, seems like a really bad idea to have the people running the country not around to do their jobs in case of an emergency. I know they can be recalled, but still, that takes time. This isn't just a USA specific problem either.
- My understanding: back when the population was small enough for this government to be actually representative, the idea was that legislators would go home to wherever they were elected from and be among the people who elected them so they could still represent their desires. Why it happens now? Tradition, I guess.
  
  If they did return to where they were elected from and interacted with the people. Mayors and town halls. That would be fantastic. But it's more golf time.
- It’s funny too because I know several people who look down on teachers and other education staff because they “don’t even work a full year”. Those same people all vote conservative.

Think of the children!
- That's how they got in this mess in the first place!

So, at what point do we decide they are not representing us, they are no longer a legitimate government, and we are going to rule without them?
- If you want that, you should call all your friends, grab your guns and meet at the town square.
- THEY NOT LIKE US
- only until the American people have someone to rally behind and no one has yet to step up to that position. None of the democrats will.
  They need a leader, no one wants to lead.
  
  Anyone who wants to lead will get murdered

Bunch of child molesters.
- Looked it up, and molestation apparently just involves touching, whereas rape involves intercourse. So it might be more accurate to say, "bunch of child rapists". But even then, that probably doesn't cover kidnapping, trafficking, abuse, drugging, and repeatedly raping a bunch of children for decades in a personal billionaire cult ring on a private island.
  Every person defending these monsters deserves to be alive in the most , , and public way. I am calling for absolute of the highest degree.
  
  Is there a way to guillotine people more than once? It'd be a shame to let them get out easy.

Is it bcz there are people in Congress who are in the files? Sounds like they're not just protecting Trump.
- People in Congress and/or people who are funding people in Congress.
  
  Yes, their owners.
- Going off what we know so far, many of American elites were either involved or must have known.
  As in this silence is a quite severe complicity they should be stripped of any and all power, any and all wealth and those who cannot be made to rot in prison should have their names shunned forever.

Man our government has fucking collapsed lol.
- I want it to collapse faster so maybe they can rebuild

Time for the still sane Americans to decide if they still want a bunch of pedo's and pedoprotectors to represent them. Decide if this might just be the final straw before springing to real action. Maybe they can now see that these people are so shameless, corrupt, criminal and whiteout morals, that one 9 to 5 protest every month or so isn't going to impress these shitbags.
- Lol IDK how you've lived through US politics in the past 10 years if you think there is literally anything that could turn these morons away from Trump. The Epstein files could be released and say "Donald Trump raped 30 teen girls on Epstein Island" and it wouldn't change a thing.
  
  They'd remark on how restrained he was, 'he only had sex with 30 children, the Democrats murder hundreds of children every day to collect their adrenochrome.'
  
  Yeah I know. I wasn't talking about his supporters, I agree they are too far gone.
- The insane outnumber them, and they made the decision a long time ago, the answer was yes.
  
  It's not that the insane outnumber them, it's that the military has crazy firepower and is controlled by trump loyalists, and they are willing to open fire on citizens. The sane people know that.
  The only hope is infiltrating the military i guess?

Well from now whenever republicans defecate some sentences involving "but the kids" from their mouths the default reply should be "Oh like the time you didn't release Epstein files?"

The entire top level of the current GOP is a pedophile, christofascist cult.
- PedoCons.

GOP = Gross Old Pedophiles
- Gropey Ogling PedoCons.

https://www.perplexity.ai/search/67b91960-caf9-4199-8315-932b7abebc38#0

Did Mike Johnson Backtrack on Epstein Report Release?

Johnson’s Public Position on Epstein Report

Previously, House Speaker Mike Johnson had publicly expressed support for releasing the Justice Department’s files on Jeffrey Epstein, echoing calls from both the MAGA base and House Democrats for “everything” to be disclosed:
“It’s a very delicate subject, but we should — we should put everything out there and let the people decide it,” Johnson said just days before the controversy escalated[1].
Johnson also stated, “House Republicans advocate for transparency and are seeking ways to demonstrate that. … I have been unequivocal, and the members have expressed the same”[2].

What Changed?

Despite these statements, Johnson reversed course this week, saying that he would NOT hold a House vote on measures related to releasing the Epstein files before Congress left for its August recess[1][3][4].
In explaining the move, Johnson argued there was “no purpose for Congress to urge an administration to do something they’re already doing,” referring to ongoing internal Justice Department processes[5][6].
He blamed Democrats for pushing the issue as “political games”—even as a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Rep. Thomas Massie, continued working to force a vote when Congress returns in September[6][3].

Shutting Down the Floor

Republicans on the House Rules Committee refused to allow votes on any bills this week, out of fear Democrats would attempt to force amendments calling for the release of the Epstein files[4][7].
This led Johnson and GOP leaders to shut down the House early, cancelling scheduled votes and starting their August recess a day ahead of plan, essentially blocking any immediate action on the Epstein documents[8][2][6][9].
Johnson’s move has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum, with some accusing him of putting party politics and Trump’s interests ahead of transparency and public interest[2][1][10][11].

Summary Table: Johnson’s Stance vs. Actions

What Johnson Said	What Johnson Did
Supported full transparency[1]	Blocked a House vote on Epstein files before recess[6][2][3]
Urged release of all files[1]	Sent House home early to avoid the vote[8][2][6][9]
Blamed Democrats for drama[2]	Accused of shielding the White House from scrutiny[11][2]

Key Takeaways

Mike Johnson initially voiced support for releasing the Epstein report, backing full transparency.
He then blocked a House vote and adjourned Congress early, delaying any legislative push for disclosure.
Public reaction has been critical, with many seeing this as Johnson reversing himself to sidestep political fallout and protect the White House[1][2][4][11].

This sequence highlights a sharp contrast between Johnson’s earlier rhetoric on transparency and his recent actions to halt legislative business on the Epstein files.

Sources [1] Speaker Mike Johnson Backtracks on Call for DOJ to Release Epstein Files https://www.democracynow.org/2025/7/22/headlines/speaker_mike_johnson_backtracks_on_call_for_doj_to_release_epstein_files [2] Mike Johnson Under Pressure Over Shutting Down House to Stop Epstein Vote https://www.newsweek.com/mike-johnson-epstein-vote-house-2102804 [3] Johnson shuts door on House vote before September on releasing Epstein files https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/21/politics/epstein-files-house-vote-gop-johnson-massie [4] House stymied as Speaker Johnson’s hand-picked committee rebels over Epstein https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5414582-speaker-johnson-rules-committee-epstein/ [5] House ending session early as Republicans clash over Epstein vote https://apnews.com/article/congress-jeffrey-epstein-trump-f2a03eca247268b14a9e38858338eded [6] Johnson ending legislative session early over Epstein controversy as some Republicans demand answers https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-paralyzed-epstein-files-2nd-week-row/story?id=123953105 [7] House largely grinds to a halt over Epstein files https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/22/house-republicans-epstein-files-mike-johnson/ [8] Epstein crisis forces Republicans to shut down House early https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/07/22/congress/house-gop-huddles-on-epstein-drama-00466738 [9] Johnson Cuts Short House Business to Avoid Vote on Releasing Epstein Files https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/us/politics/mike-johnson-ends-house-session-epstein-vote.html [10] Speaker Johnson reverses course on Epstein transparency, realigns with Trump https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/speaker-johnson-reverses-course-epstein-transparency-realigns-trump-rcna220197 [11] Johnson Does a Full 180 on Epstein Files After Hearing ‘the President’s Heart’ https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/mike-johnson-shuts-down-house-trump-epstein-files.html [12] House cancels votes amid fight over Jeffrey Epstein files https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-cancels-votes-fight-jeffrey-epstein-files-rcna220238 [13] Johnson tries to contain Epstein dissent https://www.politico.com/newsletters/inside-congress/2025/07/23/johnson-tries-to-contain-epstein-dissent-00469082 [14] Johnson confirms: No vote on Epstein before recess https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/07/21/congress/johnson-epstein-vote-recess-00465643 [15] House Speaker Johnson explains why he won't force ... - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6spfpC4IAa8 [16] Johnson sending House home early amid push to force Epstein files vote https://www.cbsnews.com/news/johnson-house-recess-epstein-files-vote/ [17] Why House Republican leaders closed up shop to stop more votes on the Epstein files https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/epstein-files-trump-house-mike-johnson-rcna220266 [18] Johnson shuts down House for the summer to sideline calls for Epstein transparency https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/speaker-ends-house-session-early-as-gop-clashes-over-epstein-files-vote

Phenomenal post!
- Thanks, I did .00000000000000000001 % of the work

They are all on the list.
- Only trump's name needs to be on the list to cause this reaction. They're all in a cult.

Anyone check the Con subreddits/communities to see how they're dealing with that little nugget?
MAGAt morons have been told directly by their Dear Leader... But they wanted those files revealed. What shall they do? Worship an old nasty rapist or learn the truth. Hmmm, probably whatever Faux News Entertainment tells them to think...
- Nah man. Faux news is the "lame stream media" and is a radical far left shithole now, didn't you hear?
  The truth only comes from OAN and Newsmax now.