WASHINGTON (TNDD) — Disagreement has emerged between House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. over the files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and operation Arctic Frost.
The two GOP leaders have had visible disagreement over releasing the Epstein files, as well as a law that could make senators more rich, according to The Hill newspaper.
Johnson said earlier this week that he had a good relationship with Thune and the disagreements weren’t personal.
“We have different processes and procedures in the two chambers, and sometimes we all get frustrated by that, but it’s not personal,” he told reporters.
Recently, both chambers of Congress voted on a bill to release all the files related to Epstein that the Department of Justice has in its possession.
Johnson said he was surprised no amendments were made before the Senate voted to pass it.
“I made clear for months that I thought there were serious flaws in the underlying bill, and I had hoped that the Senate would work to fix and correct those,” he said, according to ABC News. “They decided to go a different direction. That’s their prerogative. I was surprised and disappointed by that.”
Congressman Thomas Massie, R-Ky., brought forward a discharge petition and got 218 signatures, forcing the House to vote on it.
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening that he signed the bill.
“Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!,” he wrote on TRUTH Social.
Operation Arctic Frost was an operation where under the Biden administration, GOP senators were spied on. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., called it worse than Watergate.
On Wednesday, the House moved to move a provision in a government funding bill that would allow senators to sue the DOJ for up to $500,000 after they were spied on without their consent.