President Donald Trump has helped Speaker Mike Johnson survive every political storm of his speakership. Now, Johnson is stuck in a crisis of Trump’s own making over Jeffrey Epstein — and there’s no clear way forward without risking the ire of the speaker’s most critical ally.

House lawmakers ran to catch flights Wednesday afternoon -- leaving for their August recess a day early -- without taking a substantive vote on releasing the Epstein files. On their way out the door, some Republicans acknowledged they're bracing for serious Epstein-related questions from the MAGA base when they get home.