Discharge petition poised to force vote to release Epstein files

[struggle4progress]

by Mike Lillis - 09/25/25 6:00 AM ET

Lawmakers in both parties fighting to force the Trump administration to release all the federal files on Jeffrey Epstein took a big step closer to their goal this week.

Adelita Grijalva’s victory on Tuesday in a special House election in southern Arizona sends another Democrat to Capitol Hill — and secures the deciding 218th signature on a discharge petition designed to compel the Justice Department to disclose the still-concealed documents related to the late child sex offender.

Grijalva’s endorsement will force a House floor vote on the proposal over the objections of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other GOP leaders, who are siding with President Trump in opposition to the bill.

The milestone is highly unusual: Only a handful of discharge petitions have been successful this century. And it would mark a coup for its lead sponsor, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.), a frequent Trump critic who has accused those in his own party of protecting pedophiles to prevent embarrassing revelations about wealthy Republican donors ...

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5520512-massie-grijalva-epstein-petition/

[Skittles]

1. at the very least

I am hoping there's a lot of really wealth men shitting bricks on a daily basis

[struggle4progress]

2. White House Threatens Republicans Who Refuse to Back Off Epstein

By Audrey Fahlberg
September 26, 2025 11:20 AM

... The White House is extremely frustrated by Republican support for this petition. Massie’s support is not surprising, given his endorsement of Ron DeSantis in the 2024 presidential primary, opposition to this year’s reconciliation bill, and general obstruction of the House GOP’s legislative agenda over the years.

... the White House is ramping up pressure on his three Republican co-signatories — Representatives Lauren Boebert (R., Colo.), Nancy Mace (R., S.C), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.) — none of whom are satisfied by the Epstein-related documents that have been publicly released thus far. A source told National Review this week that the White House has made clear to some of these female representatives that administration officials will put those political threats into overdrive if they don’t flip ...

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/white-house-threatens-republicans-who-refuse-to-back-off-epstein/

[gab13by13]

3. The Hill again,

Someone ask The Hill, when Grijalva is going to get sworn in? The middle of October? Before the government is shut down?

It's up to Speaker Johnson when Grijalva gets sworn in.

I plan on making 18 holes in one before I go golfing and make my first swing.

[struggle4progress]

4. Spotlight shifts to vulnerable GOP senators

Sept. 26, 2025, 4:55 PM EDT
By Claire McCaskill

... For weeks, the administration and its allies on Capitol Hill, such as House Speaker Mike Johnson, have been trying to squash the effort to force a vote led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. But if their attempts to stop this petition were going to succeed, they would have already succeeded by now.

These members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, have put their flag in the ground. They will keep their names on that petition. In the end, I believe they will succeed and force that vote in the House — and I also believe there will be more Republicans who join them.

Behind the scenes, Johnson does his very best to do what Donald Trump wants. That’s what he always does. But this is one situation that he can’t control. This issue is bigger than Johnson — and, frankly, it’s going to prove to be bigger than Trump.

If this vote passes the House, then it all comes down to the Senate. That’s where it gets really interesting. We now have some senators who are facing real opposition next year. In Ohio, Republican Sen. Jon Husted — who took Vice President JD Vance’s vacant seat — is running against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown ...

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/jeffrey-epstein-files-discharge-petition-next-steps-senate-rcna233978

[lindysalsagal]

5. My reply to my congresscritter's posts: "Are you in the Epstein files, too? Is that why you won't release them?"

Pissed off a few magats who were trolling .

[UTUSN]

6. K&R