Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on the early closure of the House ahead of the votes around the release of the Epstein files

The fallout over the Epstein files appears to have ground Capitol Hill to a halt.  

CNN reports Speaker Mike Johnson closed proceedings for August recess a day earlier than planned, ahead of votes around the release of the files.  

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Johnson says the whole issue should be allowed to cool down, saying they’ve been ‘clear and transparent’. 

However, Arnold says, this is not the view of the MAGA faithful, with Republican activist Marjorie Taylor Green saying “if there is no justice and no accountability, people are going to get sick of it”. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
To America. Richard Arnold, good morning. What do you make
So the House is closing August, Well, it was supposed
to be August, but the closing a bit early.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yeah, you know, nothing for US politicians to be doing
in Washington, d C. Apparently so. Yeah, House Speaker Mike
Johnson is sending him home early for their summer holidays here.
That means they will avoid any vote on releasing the
full files over the Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia case. As President
Trump is still seething, it appears, over the growing mega
backlash concerning the case. Republican Thomas Massey said he would

(00:29):
join with Democrats of force a vote on releasing those
files dealing with the crimes of Epstein, whom Trump one
labeled they quote unquote terrific person. Trump and Epstein because
took part in the early nineties in a so called
Calendar girl party for young women hosted at Marilago. They
were the only males at the event. It seems Epstein's
ex girlfriend, Stacy Williams, says Epstein and Trump were quote

(00:51):
unquote best friends and again quote up to no good.
The White House denies her accusations, including her claim that
she was physically abused by Trump at the White House
a short tobago, Trump was questioned about the Epstein files
once more, and about a new move to have a
former Trump lawyer interview Jelaine Maxwell, the former Epstein associate
now serving a twenty year jail term. Over all of

(01:12):
this Epstein Epstein, I don't know anything about any of that,
says the President. Here's how he responded when he was
pressed about this Sydney the Oval Office. I don't know
about it, but I think it's something that would be
sounds appropriate to do.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
You generalist your former attorney.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
No, I have no concern that he's very he's a
very talented person.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
He's very smart.

Speaker 2 (01:37):
I didn't know that they were going to do it.
I don't really follow that too much. Yeah, don't follow
that stuff, says trub who has been notably signed for
the past couple of days. As the White House floods
the zone, as they like to put it, they called
for release of the files, not the Epstein files, but
the Martin Luther king Or files, and then some more files,
not the Epstein files, but the Hillary Clinton email service files.

(02:00):
Trump suggested he might intervene over the renaming of the
Washington Redskins as the commanders to do away with the
old racist team name more diversions. Speaker Johnson says the
whole issue should be allowed to cool down.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
We're not going to play political games with this. We've
all been very clear and transparent.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
That is not the view of most of the Mega faithful,
of course. Republican active ast Mantrie Taylor Green says, quote,
if there is no justice and no accountability, people are
going to get sick of it. That's where people largely
are end quote. Trump also accused former President Obama of
treason during his over off's appearance this day, without giving
any details. Seem to be referring to a move years
ago by Obama to okay an inquiry into an intelligence

(02:40):
assessment of Russia's election interference, and so flooding the zone again,
putting up so many issues at fuel the mega base
in hopes that mega supporters of Trump will reach their own,
well his own stance. Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Epstein, who then we come to well related matters. Colbert
was back for Monday.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
That's right. In just about every US televis comedian and
many others turned up on the CBS Late Show set
with Stephen Colber last night. This was his first show
since CBS announced they were ending Late Night after decades.
They say the reason was financial, had nothing to do
with the way Coldber had been slamming his own network
for agreen to pay sixteen million dollars us to Trump
to settle that lawsuit with the network's legendary sixty minutes

(03:20):
news show. Trump had sued them, claiming they misleadingly edited
an interview with Kamala Harris during the elections. Most analysts
say they saw the lawsuit as bogus. The CBS parents
Paramount is in merger talks with sky Dance, and Paramount's
boss favored the Trump payout in order to overcome Trump
administration regulatory hurdles. Colbert called the payout a quote big

(03:42):
fat bribe. That's the backdrop to last night, where Colbert
Colbert was back in the spotlight saying this, I can.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
Finally speak unvarnished truth to power and say what I
really think about Donald Trump, starting right now.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
I don't care for him. Comedians Jimmy Kibble, Jimmy Fallon,
John Stewart, along with musicians in Manuel Miranda and others
including Anderson, Cooper and he Cohen many others did cameos
for the show last night, which continues till May of
next year. Stuart, who used to work with Colbert on
The Daily Show, did a profanity lton rant on his

(04:27):
program last night. Here is just a little part of
that institutions that have chosen not to fight the vengeful
and vidictive actions of our pubic hair doodling Commander and ship.
This is not the moment to give in.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
I'm not giving in. I'm not going anywhere.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
I think there was lots of abusive language. Can't run
most of it, Mike, but cannot recall anything like this
on American television in the modern era.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
Might seen a couple of days Richard on Steatetside. And
by the way, they booted the Willswich Journal because of
the Epstein slash Rupert Murdoch lawsuit. They booted the Wall
Street Journal off the press pool when it comes to
the upcoming trip to Scotland for Trump. So it was
who was the first run account, who was an AP
or ruters? Whoever it was, it's now the Wall Street Journal.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
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