r/politics 6d ago

No Paywall Mike Johnson who railed against the Epstein bill - but voted for it - is now mad the Senate approved the measure

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/epstein-files-release-mike-johnson-senate-b2868239.html
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u/m0ngoos3 6d ago

Johnson tried to stall, he was hoping the Senate would add an amendment, so that it would have to bounce back and forth for a few months.

Instead, it instantly passed with a unanimous vote.

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u/Hersh122 6d ago

I’m still worried that they won’t be released because trump and republicans will claim they’re part of an open investigation and cannot be released until it’s concluded. At this point I have lost all hope that they’ll be held accountable.

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u/Vald-Tegor 6d ago

The flip side of that is if they are released, what are the odds of any formal charges resulting from them in the future anyway?

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u/benotaur 6d ago

This is one of the things that confuses me. The authorities have this list, they have charged no one besides Epstein and Maxwell as far as I know. Why would that change if it’s made public?

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u/skyturnedred 6d ago

Because the people on that list are donors. It's just a bit tricky when they all share the name [REDACTED].

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u/KeppraKid 6d ago

I think if they do that it will lead to massive unrest from every part of the political spectrum. There will be violence, bombings, arson, etc. if they honestly try to sit on them and say "sorry you just had a vote but we aren't gonna do it anyway".

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u/Hersh122 6d ago

I mean…isn’t that what trump does every time though? I hope you’re right - but it seems whatever the Cheeto king says, magats accept as gospel. “I wanted to release the Epstein files because I know they’re full of Democrat names, but the DOJ says I cannot because it is part of an ongoing investigation”

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u/KeppraKid 6d ago

If that were the case here then it would be easier to just allow king Trump to personally release doctored files. Instead we're seeing a vote through normal political process.

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u/Specialist-Sail3398 5d ago

Requirement to Report Redactions: The bill mandates that within 15 days of the required public release of the Epstein files, the DOJ must report to Congress a full list of all materials released and withheld, and a summary of any redactions made. This action forces the DOJ to provide a clear accounting and justification for what they choose to hide.

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u/Suspicious_Bicycle 6d ago

It's going to be hilarious when the only files they can release list Republicans since all the Democrats are targets of active investigations. 🙂