Trump was an FBI informant in Epstein case, Speaker Johnson claims
Examining the newly released Epstein files
On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee publicly released files from the Justice Department related to the sex trafficking investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. Kaelan Deese joins LiveNOW’s Austin Westfall to discuss the latest. Deese is a Justice Department reporter with the Washington Examiner.
House Speaker Mike Johnson made an explosive claim about President Donald Trump Friday while talking to reporters at the Capitol.
Johnson was asked to respond to Trump’s recent comments on Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died in a New York jail cell in 2019. On Wednesday, Trump called the ongoing Epstein saga “a hoax.”
What did Johnson say about Trump and Epstein?
What they’re saying:
“What Trump is referring to is the hoax that the Democrats are using to try to attack him,” Johnson said.
“It’s been misrepresented. He’s not saying that what Epstein did is a hoax. It’s a terrible, unspeakable evil; he believes that himself. When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago.
FILE – From left, American real estate developer (and future president) Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife), former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Max
“He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down,” he continued. “The president knows, and has great sympathy for the women who suffered these unspeakable harms. It’s detestable to him.”
It’s the first time an official has claimed Trump was an FBI informant in the case. The White House has not commented on Johnson’s remarks.
What did Trump say about the Epstein case?
Trump, who campaigned on a promise of transparency with the Epstein files, called the Epstein saga “a hoax” while talking to reporters on Wednesday.
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President Trump met with Polish President Nawrocki inside the Oval Office. Afterwards the President took media questions including questions about the cartel drug boat strike and releasing the Epstein files among other topics.
“This is a Democrat hoax that never ends…I think it’s enough because I think we should talk about the greatness of our country and the success that we’re having…that’s what I want to talk about…not the Epstein hoax,” he said.
Epstein files latest
The backstory:
The Epstein case has attracted widespread attention because of Epstein and his longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell’s links to famous people, including royals, presidents and billionaires. It has also led to countless conspiracy theories and a big push for Congress to get more information released. Maxwell is serving a lengthy prison sentence for helping Epstein traffic young girls.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers hosted a press conference with 10 of Epstein’s victims outside the Capitol. Lawmakers hoped the media event would force Congress to vote on a bill requiring the Justice Department to release all of its files on Epstein.
RELATED: Epstein victims say they’ll compile their own list: ‘Stay tuned’
A day earlier, the House Oversight Committee shared more than 33,000 pages of Epstein documents, though most, if not all, of the text documents had already been made public. Johnson and a bipartisan group of lawmakers also had a long meeting Tuesday with some of Epstein’s victims.
Epstein survivors may release unofficial client list
Some of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims spoke out publicly for the first time Wednesday at a press conference on Capitol Hill. The women pleaded for Congress to take action and force the Justice Department to release all of its files on Epstein and his longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell. LiveNOW’s Josh Breslow discussed the topic with trial attorney Andrea Lewis.
On July 7, the Trump administration said there was no list of Epstein’s clients and no evidence that compelled them to reopen the case and go after uncharged third parties. According to The Wall Street Journal, Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump in May that his name was mentioned multiple times in the “truckload” of documents from Epstein’s case.
What’s next:
Johnson is trying to quell an effort by Democrats and some Republicans to force a vote on a bill that would require the Justice Department to release all the information in the Epstein files, except for the victims’ personal information.
Democrats and some Republicans are still trying to maneuver around Johnson’s control of the House floor to hold a vote on their bill. Even if it got enough Republican support in the House, it would still need to pass the Senate and be signed into law by Trump.
The Source: This report includes information from House Speaker Mike Johnson, The Associated Press and previous LiveNow from FOX reporting.