White House's Push on Epstein Vote Centered on Boebert

New details are emerging about an apparent late effort by the White House to ward off a House vote on releasing all of the Jeffrey Epstein files. This push reportedly centered on GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, one of three Republican women who signed onto the petition to release the files. Details:

• Big meeting: Boebert was summoned on Wednesday to a meeting in the White House Situation Room with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI chief Kash Patel, reports the New York Times.
• Big phone calls: President Trump was not present, but he spoke to Boebert by phone on Tuesday, reports MSNBC. Trump also tried to call Rep. Nancy Mace, another of the Republican women who signed off on the petition, though the two apparently never connected, per CNN. Mace later tweeted that "Epstein petition is deeply personal," citing her own history as a survivor of sexual assaults.

• Aftermath: Boebert ultimately did not take her name off the petition, and she is downplaying any friction after the Situation Room meeting. "I love the White House," Boebert told Colorado Public Radio. "Adults are allowed to have conversations." Boebert also tweeted thanks to the White House afterward, adding that "we remain committed to ensuring transparency." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the meeting an example of how the White House will "sit down with members of Congress and address their concerns."
• 218: The petition gained the magic number of 218 supporters to trigger a vote after Rep. Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, was sworn in to office on Wednesday.
• Now what? Speaker Mike Johnson must call a vote, probably next week. Even it passes the House, however, the measure looks doomed in the Senate, and Trump could veto it in any event. But the Times sees a House vote as a "political disaster" for both the president and House Republicans.