Washington DC - In a surprising move, House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed that he is fast-tracking a vote on the resolution to release the files on notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

According to ABC News, Johnson told reporters on Wednesday that the vote will take place next week as soon as Congress returns to work following the recent end of the federal government's longest shutdown in US history.

Johnson went on to note that the House Oversight Committee has been "working around the clock" on their own investigation "for maximum transparency... as we have all been for since the very beginning."

The news comes as President Donald Trump, who was close friends with Epstein for decades, continues to face backlash for refusing to release the files as he has repeatedly promised.

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A petition led by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has sought to force the House to vote on releasing the files, which Trump, Johnson, and other MAGA allies have been trying desperately to foil.

But on Wednesday, newly elected Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva was sworn in, becoming the final signature needed to push the petition forward.

The same day Grijalva was sworn in, House Democrats released emails in which Epstein claimed Trump knew of his alleged crimes, and appeared to be plotting to "take him down" with what he knows.

Johnson's pivot to fast-track the petition vote is notable, as he has gone to wild lengths to try to clear Trump's name and keep the vote from taking place.

The House Speaker held off Grijalva's swearing in for weeks, falsely claiming he couldn't do it during the shutdown, while she accused him of doing so in order to block the Epstein files' release.

The House speaker has also bizarrely claimed that Trump only associated with Epstein because he was actually an FBI informant, previously saying he would not allow the vote to move forward.

While Johnson hasn't commented publicly on the emails, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a recent press briefing that the emails "prove absolutely nothing, other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong."