House Speaker Mike Johnson has modified his statement that President Donald Trump acted as an informant for the FBI in the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, made headlines recently when he tried to emphasize that Trump had been horrified by Epstein’s crimes and had tried to help investigators, in effect acting as “an FBI informant.”
According to Johnson’s office, the speaker was reiterating what the victims’ attorney had said, namely that over a decade ago, Trump was the only one willing to help prosecutors expose Epstein. Newsweek has contacted the FBI for comment.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration continues to face criticism over its handling of files related to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump and Epstein were known to be friendly after meeting in the late 1980s. However, their relationship reportedly soured after a real estate dispute in 2004.
The president has repeatedly described the case as a “Democrat Epstein Hoax,” and Johnson’s statement to reporters last week sought to show that Trump had tried to help prosecutors investigating Epstein. Still, their comments have done little to quell calls for greater government transparency surrounding the case.
What To Know
On September 4, when asked why Trump described the case as “the Democrat Epstein Hoax,” Johnson said the president was referring to how Democrats were using the case to attack him.
Johnson said Trump did not believe what Epstein did was a hoax, adding that the president viewed it as a “terrible, unspeakable evil” and had kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago estate when he first heard the rumors.
“He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down,” Johnson continued, saying Trump had sympathy for the victims and had worked closely with investigators to provide information on Epstein.
On Sunday, Johnson’s office said in a statement to The Washington Post, “The Speaker is reiterating what the victims’ attorney said, which is that Donald Trump—who kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago—was the only one more than a decade ago willing to help prosecutors expose Epstein for being a disgusting child predator.”
Outside the U.S. Capitol last week, some of Epstein’s accusers described the abuse they suffered from Epstein and his jailed associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
At the event, Brad Edwards, the attorney representing many of Epstein’s victims, accused Trump of doing an “about-face” after initially supporting the victims’ plight.
“Now it seems like all of a sudden somebody is in his ear, and he’s not,” Edwards said.
The White House said in a statement to The Washington Post that Trump had “always been committed to justice and transparency for these victims.”
What People Are Saying
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters of President Donald Trump: “He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down … and has great sympathy for the women who suffered these unspeakable harms.”
Arick Fudali, who represents 11 of Epstein’s victims, told NewsNation: “I’m encouraged that this group of brave women is taking it upon themselves, since the government continues to fail them, to compile their own list of Epstein’s enablers and perhaps even co-abusers.”
What Happens Next
Last week, the House Oversight Committee released more than 30,000 pages of documents related to the case, most of which were already public.
Meanwhile, Democrats and some Republicans are pushing for the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which could see the release of more documents about Epstein and his sex trafficking operation.
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