In a matter of days, US House speaker Mike Johnson claimed that Donald Trump was an FBI informant who was working to try and take down late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein – then backed away from the confusing statement.
Johnson made the baffling claim on Thursday speaking to reporters at the US Capitol. “He was an FBI informant to try and take this stuff down,” Johnson said of Trump.
The remark was so perplexing that it reportedly confused even Trump administration officials.
By Sunday, Johnson was walking back his explosive comment. “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,” his office said in a statement.
Brad Edwards, an attorney who represents several Epstein victims, told reporters Wednesday that Trump had helped him look into claims against Epstein more than a decade ago – but had since done an about face, according to the Washington Post. He did not say on Wednesday whether Trump had cooperated with law enforcement.
Johnson’s comments came as both Democrats and Republicans are pushing the US justice department to release more information about Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor and died by suicide in 2019 while in jail awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
Related: Epstein estate records release could shine light on sex trafficker’s connections – or show nothing at all
A bipartisan House effort, led by Republican representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic colleague Ro Khanna of California, to force a vote on legislation that would require the justice department to release all files related to Epstein appears on track to have enough votes. The House oversight committee has also issued subpoenas to try and get more information about Epstein.
On Wednesday, several victims spoke publicly at a press conference on Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to support the legislation that would require the release of more information, which Johnson has opposed.
The Trump administration has pledged to investigate Epstein’s crimes but several lawyers representing victims have said they haven’t heard anything from the justice department.
While campaigning for a second presidency in 2024, Trump pledged to release a full list of Epstein’s clients. But the justice department now says no such list exists. And Trump now has called the matter the “Democrat Epstein Hoax.”
Trump and Epstein were longtime friends who had a falling-out in about 2004. Trump told reporters in July the falling out came because Epstein stole workers from the spa at Mar-a-Lago, including Virginia Giuffre, who was later abused by Epstein.
