The man who is the focus of the most attention on Capitol Hill this week is not the speaker of the House—it’s the late Jeffrey Epstein.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., fielded a number of questions on his decision to oppose motions from Democrats and some Republicans to try to compel the White House to release information on the now-deceased convicted sex offender Epstein. 

“This morning at our weekly conference meeting, we discussed the upcoming schedule, given the Democrats’ endless efforts to politicize the Epstein controversy and that whole investigation,” Johnson said at his weekly press conference.

Republicans decided to shut down the House Rules Committee—the last stop before a bill comes to the floor—owing to those motions, which have mostly paralyzed the House floor ahead of a six-week recess.

Leadership also told members Tuesday that the recess would begin one day early, on........

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