Conservative Bulwark editor William Kristol says President Donald Trump took a day off “from digging himself deeper” into the Epstein “hole”, but House speaker Mike Johnson appears willing to step “up to the plate.”

Kristol noted Johnson telling CNN anchor Jake Tapper that he wants “everything to come out about the Epstein evils.”

“ … I’m pushing aggressively for the full release of everything that is possible, and, by the way, so is the president,” Johnson told CNN. “We’re using every mechanism within our power to do that, and to do it as quickly as possible.”

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“This is Orwellian,” said Kristol. “Two weeks ago, Speaker Johnson recessed the House in order to avoid a floor vote on a resolution calling for the release of the [Epstein] files.”

On July 17, Kristol points out that the House Rules Committee passed a bipartisan resolution “providing for the release of certain documents, records, and communications related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.”

“Johnson panicked and sent the House home early for summer recess. That hardly qualifies as ‘quickly as possible,’” Kristol said. “And how’s that recess going for Mike Johnson? Well, earlier this week, a state representative from Johnson’s own 4th district of Louisiana, a fellow Republican, took the extraordinary step of issuing a statement condemning Johnson.”

Republican Louisiana state Rep. Danny McCormick accused Johnson of shutting down Congress early “to dodge the vote.”

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“It’s one thing to be silent. It’s another to actively stand in the way of truth and justice,” said McCormick. “That raises serious questions about who he’s really protecting.”

Kristol said despite the “Speaker’s spin” on CNN, “so far, Republicans in Congress have been part of the coverup. And the issue isn’t going away.”

“The August recess,” Kristol said, “should be interesting.”

Read the full Bulwark report at this link.