Who?
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA)
LISTEN: Laslo & LaMalfa
Ask a Pol asks:
Are House Republicans going to gavel out to avoid voting on the Jeffrey Epstein records now that allegations are flying that President Donald Trump is named in the files and doesn’t want them public?*
Key LaMalfa:
“What my leadership colleagues are saying is, let a process work through and see what actually is there, because we don’t really have the right to try things in Congress. It’s gonna be up to the executive branch through DOJ and its associates to figure that out,” Rep. Doug LaMalfa exclusively tells Ask a Pol.
“But at some point on the other side of this, there better be a satisfactory vetting and outcome on this. It may not be today, but, you know, when we get back September,* whatever it is, there better be something real out of this, because it don’t look good.”
*This interview took place Tuesday — the following afternoon Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leaders let the House of Representatives out a few days early for their annual monthslong August recess.
ICYMI — Check out Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo’s feature
Caught our ear:
“You know there is a politics of perception too, right?” LaMalfa tells us. “And the perception ain't great right now on either side.”
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Doug LaMalfa (7-22-2025)
SCENE: A day before the US House started its monthlong August recess, Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo caught up with veteran Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa on the optics of starting Congress’ summer vacation to avoid a floor vote on the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Matt Laslo: “What’s going on, like, are you guys gonna gavel out to avoid an Epstein vote?”
Doug LaMalfa: “Well, avoid the vote — well, I wouldn’t put it that way but…”
ML: “Yeah?”
DL: “I think what our team is talking about is, let the White House go through the process of what they have on investigations. ‘Cause what I’ve learned is that a bunch of this is being tied up by a couple of judges who are sitting on some of the information.”
ML: “Oh, interesting.”
DL: “It isn’t really up to the White House or the DOJ that has the information and they’re not releasing it. I think they’ve attempted to, but I will say that the way it appears, you know, it doesn’t look good how it’s going.”
ML: “Yeah, right?”
ICYMI — View from the other side…
DL: “It looks like, the accusations are flying around that everyone’s just covering it up and putting it under the rug. It’s pretty hard to defend that it doesn't look that way but…”
ML: “Yeah.”
DL: “…I think what my leadership colleagues are saying is let a process work through and see what actually is there. Because we don’t really have the right to try things in Congress.”
ML: “Yeah.”
DL: “It’s gonna be up to the executive branch through DOJ and its associates to figure that out, so, you know, but at some point on the other side of this there better be a satisfactory vetting and outcome on this.”
ML: “Yeah?”
DL: “It may not be today, but, you know, when we get back September, whatever it is, there better be something real out of this.”
ML: “Yeah?”
DL: “Because it don’t look good.”
ML: “Yeah.”
DL: “And whether it’s right or wrong or accurate or whatever.”
ML: “Yeah?”
DL: “You know there is a politics of perception too, right?”
ML: “Right?”
DL: “And the perception ain't great right now on either side.”
ML: “Yeah.”
DL: “Okay?”
ML: “True that. ‘Preciate ya.”
Logan Johnson contributed to this report.
What should we ask Congress next? Let us know!
Content posted at AskaPol.com is copyrighted. Use our original content to move the story forward. And, please, link to us.
Share this post