U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson

Republicans could soon face a reckoning as the end of the government shutdown also threatens to compel the release of the government's files on late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Newsweek reports.

In July 2025, the U.S. Justice Department and FBI stated in a memo that an extensive review found no evidence that Epstein maintained an "incriminating 'client list'" or blackmailed prominent figures.

Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously suggested such a list was on her desk, but her office later clarified she was referring to the general case files.

President Donald Trump campaigned on releasing the files and then backtracked, continuing to deny his involvement in what he calls a a Democratic hoax, despite proof of a salacious birthday card he wrote to Epstein that was obtained by the Wall Street Journal.

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse and lawmakers from both major parties — including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Representative James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is leading a congressional investigation into the federal government's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case — have been calling for the release of the files.

Massie's petition to release the files awaits a final signature from Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who has yet to be sworn in by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA). Grijalva has said she’ll sign the petition once she takes office, giving the petition the 218 signatures needed to trigger a floor vote.

As soon as the government reopens, Johnson is set to swear Grijalva in, and that, says Todd Belt, professor and director of the political management program at George Washington University, is "a real test of the power of Speaker Mike Johnson," who has done all he could to delay the release of the files.

“The speaker has had a pretty firm control over his party on most issues, and the Discharge Petition will force his hand on the Epstein Files," Belt says.

This, Belt notes, will present a huge problem within the party.

"It is going to be more difficult for the Speaker to lead a party that isn't cohesive — just ask former Speaker McCarthy," he says.

Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University, agrees, telling Newsweek that “by all accounts, Trump and his Republican allies have dreaded this moment, but it was inevitable unless some Republicans who support the release backtrack.”

Panagoupoulos says the White House should brace for impact.

“If the files are released and they contain damaging information for the president, the Trump White House may need to be in full-blown crisis mode, but they may not be alone if the files implicate others, including high-profile Democrats,” he said. "Either way, it appears Americans will not need to wait much longer to find out.”