‘He helped take Epstein down’: US Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump was FBI informant for decades

His remarks came even as survivors of Epstein’s abuse and a bipartisan group of lawmakers continued to press for transparency.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday made a striking claim while defending US President Donald Trump’s comments on the Jeffrey Epstein files. Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Johnson said Trump had cooperated with the FBI for decades and acted as an informant in efforts to take Epstein down.

“He’s not saying that what Epstein did is a hoax, it’s a terrible, unspeakable evil, he believes that himself,” Johnson told reporters. “When he first heard the rumour, he kicked him out of Mar-A-Lago. He was an FBI informant trying to take this down. The president knows and has great sympathy for the women who have suffered these unspeakable harms.”

The White House has not responded to Johnson’s assertion, leaving the claim hanging amid one of Washington’s most contentious debates.

Trump dismisses disclosure calls

Trump, however, has taken a different tack, labelling bipartisan efforts to release all Epstein investigation files as a Democrat hoax.

Trump on Epstein files: "So what they are trying to do with the Epstein hoax is get people to talk about that instead of speaking about the tremendous success I’ve had like ending seven wars"#EpsteinFiles pic.twitter.com/4lprfwtngt

— Neha Khanna (@nehakhanna_07) September 3, 2025

“It’s really a Democrat hoax, because they’re trying to get people to talk about something that’s totally irrelevant to the success that we have had as a nation since I have been president,” Trump told reporters, according to CNN.

His remarks came even as survivors of Epstein’s abuse and a bipartisan group of lawmakers continued to press for transparency.

Survivors warn they may release names

Frustrated by years of secrecy, survivors say they may compile and release their own list of alleged abusers if the government fails to act. “It will be done by survivors and for survivors,” said Lisa Phillips, an Epstein survivor, as reported by US media.

But experts have warned that such disclosures could expose survivors to lawsuits, with some lawmakers cautioning they risk being “sued into homelessness.”

A Congress divided

The push for disclosure has split Capitol Hill into two tracks. Johnson has promised that the House Oversight Committee’s probe will “uncover things that have never been uncovered before.” Critics told CNN they doubt much new information will emerge.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan bill led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna is moving closer to forcing a full release of the files. Massie has already collected 214 signatures on a discharge petition, just four short of the 218 needed.

Immunity and political risk

Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have also suggested they could name names under the Constitution’s “speech or debate” immunity, which shields lawmakers from legal action for remarks made on the House floor.

But the White House is pushing back hard. CNN reported officials have warned Republicans that supporting Massie’s petition would be viewed as a very hostile act to the administration.