Mike Johnson claimed Trump was anti-Epstein informant, then retreated amid criticism [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Mon 8 Sep 2025 09.34 EDT
Last modified on Mon 8 Sep 2025 10.44 EDT


In a matter of days, the US House speaker, Mike Johnson, claimed that Donald Trump was an FBI informant who was working to try to take down the 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.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/08/mike-johnson-trump-epstein-fbi-informant