Ro Khanna Says Mike Johnson’s Decision To Shut Down The House Early Speaks Volumes | EUROtoday

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Tuesday mentioned House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) name to abruptly shut down the decrease chamber forward of schedule was a calculated choice to dam a vote on the discharge of information associated to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and was doubtless made on the path of President Donald Trump.

Johnson on Tuesday canceled upcoming votes, asserting he would ship lawmakers house for a five-week recess on Wednesday night, whereas calling the controversy across the Epstein information a “Democrat sideshow.”

In an interview with CNN’s “AC360,” Khanna, one of many Democrats main the bipartisan effort to launch the paperwork, mentioned Johnson took motion as a result of he knew their decision had the votes to go and he didn’t “want to embarrass the members of his own caucus.”

Khanna added that their decision has secured the approval of a number of GOP members, together with Thomas Massie (Ky.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Nancy Mace (S.C.) and Tim Burchett (Tenn.).

“I don’t think they’ve ever in my entire nine years in Congress, sponsored any legislation that I’ve introduced,” Khanna mentioned.

“So this is something that he knows his base wants. It would overwhelmingly pass, and so he’s literally closing Congress because he doesn’t want to vote on our bill, or any bill or any amendment related to the release of the Epstein files,” Khanna advised CNN’s John Berman of Johnson.

Asked if he believed Trump pushed Johnson to name for an early recess, Khanna mentioned the president was most definitely concerned within the choice, citing Johnson’s reluctance to place up a nonbinding decision calling on the White House to launch the information up for a vote.

“The president simply does not want [Johnson] to have any vote on any bill or any amendment regarding Epstein,” Khanna mentioned. “But this issue is not going away.”

Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee agreed in a voice vote to ask Epstein collaborator Ghislaine Maxwell to supply a deposition. Separately, the Justice Department additionally desires to talk to Maxwell.

The president’s relationship to Epstein is getting contemporary scrutiny after CNN on Tuesday launched photos of him attending Trump’s marriage ceremony to Marla Maples in 1993, in addition to video of the 2 males attending a Victoria’s Secret occasion in 1999.

When CNN approached Trump for touch upon the unearthed marriage ceremony pictures, Trump replied: “You’ve got to be kidding me,” earlier than blasting the community as “fake news” and ending the decision.

The community’s reporting follows a Wall Street Journal report final week stating that the newspaper reviewed a “bawdy” birthday message Trump wrote to Epstein in 2003 as a part of a shock put collectively by Maxwell. Trump blasted the report as pretend and sued the paper and its proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, over its contents.