U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pushed back Tuesday against the bipartisan effort led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force release of the files related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, dismissing the effort as "meaningless."

“I would describe virtually everything Thomas Massie says related to this issue as meaningless. That’s my response," he told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday.

Massie and Khanna have launched a discharge petition aimed at compelling the Justice Department to hand over unsealed Epstein-related documents, while ensuring victims’ identities are redacted. The move builds on growing bipartisan frustration with the pace and scope of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation, which some lawmakers view as overly cautious and heavily redacted.

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Johnson, however, has been defending his approach — claiming that Republicans are committed to full transparency but must not jeopardize the privacy of victims or violate legal bounds, such as protections around grand-jury materials.

In July, Massie called Johnson’s criticism a “straw man,” saying the legislation was carefully drafted to protect victims and exclude illicit material. He emphasized that public pressure and support from both parties could yield the necessary 218 signatures to force a vote next month.

Meanwhile, Massie and Khanna have scheduled a Wednesday press conference at the Capitol, where survivors of Epstein’s abuse — some speaking for the first time — will plead for full disclosure of the documents.

Their testimonies are expected to heighten pressure on leaders and sway public sentiment further in favor of transparency.

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Public opinion appears to favor the Massie-Khanna approach. A Quinnipiac poll released last week showed that 73 percent of voters believed the Justice Department was not being transparent, and other GOP figures, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), have publicly backed the push for document release.