Mike Johnson ‘Deeply Disappointed’ as Senate Speeds Epstein Bill Through

(Screengrab via X)

House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced his personal frustration after the Senate pushed through the Jeffrey Epstein disclosure bill without adopting changes he had urged, warning that the fast-tracked vote risked leaving “permanent damage to the justice system” unaddressed.

Speaking to MS NOW congressional reporter Mychael Schnell shortly after the Senate approved the measure by unanimous consent, Johnson said:

I am deeply disappointed in this outcome. I think I’ve been at the state dinner, I don’t know. I was just told that [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer rushed it to the floor and put it out there preemptively. It needed amendments. I just spoke to the president about that. We’ll see what happens.

Johnson declined to say whether he expected a presidential veto when asked, adding only: “I’m not saying that, I don’t know.”

Pressed further, he noted: “We both have concerns about it, so we’ll see.”

The Republican speaker had backed the bill on the assumption the Senate would address concerns raised by House conservatives, including added protections for victims and whistleblowers. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune dismissed the prospect of changes, saying GOP legal counsel had already determined the legislation was “sufficient.”

It marked yet another setback for Johnson. His months-long resistance to the bill was upended earlier when Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) engineered a rare procedural maneuver to force the House to advance the measure in a 427–1 vote.

Johnson said he had believed the Senate would still make adjustments, telling reporters he had received “some comfort” on that point. Instead, the only flicker of hesitation in the chamber came from Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), who briefly questioned whether the bill required last-minute tweaks “to protect the victims.” Those changes never materialised.

Watch above via X.