Speaker Mike Johnson sent House members home for their summer recess a day early instead of holding a vote on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Johnson joins "The Takeout" to discuss the Epstein controversy.

The Jeffrey Epstein morass surrounding President Donald Trump is deepening amid growing defiance by some Republicans and despite the administration’s most inflammatory attempt yet at distraction.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called for "transparency" as the Donald Trump administration faces pressure to release more information on Jeffrey Epstein

Mike Johnson broke with Donald Trump by claiming the Epstein case is "not a hoax" and reiterated that he supports full transparency.

Jeffrey Epstein in custody in West Palm Beach in 2008. Federal investigators arrested a Palmetto man accused of threatening to kill politicians and others​ tied to a rumored “client list” connected to Jeffrey Epstein.

The GOP-led Rules Committee -- which was working on advancing a slate of unrelated bills -- came to a halt Monday evening because Democrats announced their plan to force a committee vote on bipartisan legislation that would call for the release of the Epstein files.

After Trump described the Epstein saga as a "hoax," Musk wrote: "Wow I can’t believe Epstein killed himself before realizing it was all a hoax."

The Justice Department’s evidence on Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case has sparked a scandal, with both Democrats and Republicans vying for full disclosure and the

Trump promised a lawsuit after The Wall Street Journal described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday.