WASHINGTON, D.C. — Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has issued a clarification following a media firestorm surrounding his recent comments about President Donald Trump’s alleged involvement as an FBI informant in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
The controversy erupted after Johnson, in an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju last week, appeared to suggest that Trump had worked with federal authorities to expose Epstein’s sex trafficking ring. His words were swiftly seized upon by left-leaning media outlets and social media voices, who framed the comment as a bombshell revelation. However, Johnson’s team has since clarified that the speaker was referencing previous public statements made by attorneys representing Epstein’s victims — not any classified or secretive role Trump may have held.
“What President Trump is referring to is the hoax that Democrats are using to try to smear him,” Johnson told Raju, pushing back against the narrative tying Trump directly to Epstein’s crimes. “He’s horrified by what Epstein did. When he first heard the rumor, he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down.”
The initial comments were quickly taken out of context, prompting widespread speculation and sensational headlines. Two days later, Johnson’s office issued a statement to The Washington Post clarifying the matter.
“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,” the statement read.
The clarification aligns with previously reported facts. Trump had, according to court documents and statements by victims’ legal teams, distanced himself from Epstein as early as the mid-2000s. Reports indicate that he barred Epstein from entering Mar-a-Lago after inappropriate behavior toward a young staffer was discovered. Trump himself has publicly stated he was “not a fan” of Epstein and has repeatedly referred to the connection attempts as a political smear campaign orchestrated by Democrats and media allies.
