Johnson vs. Thune: Epstein Files and 'Arctic Frost' Payouts Expose GOP Friction

Tensions between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) have surfaced publicly after a series of high-profile disagreements over the release of Jeffrey Epstein documents and a Senate provision tied to electronic records seizures.

What had been a largely unified Republican leadership front now shows visible strains as the two leaders diverged on both process and policy — even while insisting their relationship remains intact.

Epstein files: privacy concerns vs. speedy disclosure

After a revolt in the House forced Johnson to bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a floor vote, the Speaker spent nearly 20 minutes at a pre-vote briefing laying out his worries about the measure. Johnson expressed concern the bill could jeopardize sensitive victim information and might permit the release of unverified allegations about people connected to the financier.

Johnson said he voted for the bill in part because he expected the Senate to amend it, commenting that the upper chamber could "take the time to do methodically ... what we have not been allowed to do in the House, to amend this." Instead, the Senate approved the legislation unchanged by unanimous consent just hours later.

"When a bill comes out of the House 427 to 1 and the president has said he’s going to sign it, I’m not sure that amending it is in the cards," Thune told reporters after the vote.

'Arctic Frost' provision and the $500,000 clause

The disagreement widened when Thune backed a Senate funding deal amendment that allowed senators to seek $500,000 in damages if their data were obtained without their knowledge. Applied retroactively to 2022, the clause could potentially benefit roughly 10 Republican senators whose phone records were seized during former special counsel Jack Smith’s "Arctic Frost" investigation related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The language does not extend to House members.

Johnson said he was blindsided and told reporters he was "very angry," calling the provision "way out of line" and a poor strategic move. In response, the House voted 426-0 to repeal the payout provision, delivering a sharp, bipartisan rebuke to the Senate.

Republican Rep. John Rose criticized Thune on X, calling the last-minute insertion of the payout into a funding bill disrespectful and accusing the Senate leader of mocking House Republicans. Thune, however, insisted the Senate had strengthened the law and that the unanimous House repeal vote would not necessarily change the Senate’s course.

Thune later tried to offer a compromise by unanimous consent to redirect any damages awarded to senators to the U.S. Treasury; Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) objected.

Leadership reaction and broader context

Both leaders downplayed the dispute as issue-specific rather than a broader rift. Thune emphasized structural and cultural differences between the chambers and described his working relationship with Johnson as "incredibly strong." Allies in GOP leadership echoed that view, calling the tensions temporary and driven by fast-moving events — including President Trump’s public support for releasing Epstein documents.

Still, the public disagreements come as both leaders face several other looming legislative challenges: expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, and a January government funding deadline that risks another shutdown.

Whatever the outcome of those conflicts, the episode highlights growing public scrutiny of intra-party decision-making and the competing incentives that can pit House and Senate leaders against one another — even when they share a common legislative agenda.