"November 12 was a very busy day in the White House as Donald Trump's congressional allies worked overtime to end the longest government shutdown in history. But it does not appear the president was spending any time burning up the phone lines to Congress to ensure the reopening of the government. Instead he was worried about something unrelated: trying to talk House Republicans into removing their signatures from a discharge petition forcing a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act,"
"Trump spoke with one signatory, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who also met with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel on the subject in the White House. She did not change her mind. Trump also tried to reach another, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who sent the president a message explaining why she, too, would turn down his blandishments, as the New York Times reported:"
"And so from the White House's point of view, the worst-case scenario happened despite Trump's personal lobbying. When recently elected Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva was finally sworn in after a long and very suspicious delay, she quickly became the 218th signature on the discharge petition, and House Speaker Mike Johnson duly announced the chamber would vote on the Epstein Files bill next week."
On November 12, President Donald Trump prioritized persuading House Republicans to withdraw signatures from a discharge petition that would force a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act rather than focusing on ending the government shutdown. Trump contacted Lauren Boebert, who met with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel but refused to change her position. He also attempted to reach Nancy Mace, who declined after outlining her personal history of sexual abuse. When Adelita Grijalva was sworn in, she became the petition's 218th signer, prompting Speaker Mike Johnson to schedule a vote next week.
Read at Intelligencer
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