US House speaker shuts down chamber to block Epstein vote

US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson has announced an early adjournment of the chamber, stalling efforts to force the release of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The move delays a politically fraught vote on the matter until September amid growing bipartisan pressure for transparency. It followed a key committee vote to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate, to testify before Congress.

Calls to declassify Epstein-related files have intensified recently, including from supporters of President Donald Trump.

Earlier on Tuesday, the US justice department requested a meeting with Maxwell to ask: "What do you know?"

Maxwell's legal team told the BBC they were in discussions with the government and she would "always testify truthfully".

On Capitol Hill on Tuesday, facing mounting pressure from both Democrats and some Republicans to force a vote to release Epstein-related files within 30 days, Johnson declared recess a day earlier than planned.

The House is expected to reconvene in September, when the usual summer break ends.

Johnson defended the decision, accusing Democrats of "political games".