Mike Johnson’s Shocking Epstein Comment on Trump Sparks Uproar – Then a Quick Walkback
In just a few days, US House Speaker Mike Johnson went from dropping a political bombshell to scrambling for damage control. Johnson claimed that Donald Trump was an FBI informant working to take down the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein – only to quickly retreat from the bizarre statement.
The head-turning claim came on Thursday when Johnson addressed reporters at the US Capitol. Speaking about Trump, Johnson bluntly said: “He was an FBI informant to try and take this stuff down.”
The comment was so confusing and explosive that even Trump administration officials were reportedly left scratching their heads.
By Sunday, Johnson had dramatically walked back the remark. His office tried to clarify, saying: “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.”
Attorney Brad Edwards, who represents several of Epstein’s victims, told reporters that Trump had indeed offered help over a decade ago in investigating claims against Epstein. But, according to the Washington Post, Edwards never said whether Trump actually cooperated with law enforcement.
Johnson’s misstep comes as Democrats and Republicans are turning up the heat on the US Justice Department to finally release more details about Epstein. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor and later died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
A bipartisan House effort, spearheaded by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), is pushing legislation that would force the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related files. The House Oversight Committee has even issued subpoenas to dig deeper into the scandal.
On Wednesday, several Epstein victims stood at the Capitol and urged lawmakers to back the measure. Notably, Speaker Johnson himself has opposed the legislation – sparking even more controversy.
Meanwhile, despite the Trump administration’s past promises to investigate Epstein’s crimes, multiple victims’ attorneys say they have yet to hear a word from the Justice Department.
Adding fuel to the fire, while campaigning for a 2024 comeback, Trump vowed to release a full list of Epstein’s clients. But the Justice Department insists no such list exists. Trump now dismisses the matter as the “Democrat Epstein Hoax.”
Though Trump and Epstein were once longtime friends, their relationship soured around 2004. Trump told reporters that the fallout happened because Epstein stole workers from the Mar-a-Lago spa – including Virginia Giuffre, who later became one of Epstein’s most high-profile victims.