Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana and the House Speaker, retracted his previous strong assertion that Donald Trump was mentioned in the Epstein documents because he would have served as an "FBI informant" in the matter.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) withdrew his assertion that President Trump had acted as an FBI informant in the matter involving sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2025-09-07T21:30:04.616129946Z
During a press appearance at Capitol Hill, Mike Johnson claimed that Donald Trump would have acted as "an informant for the FBI in an effort to dismantle [Epstein]", suggesting through his statements that Trump had worked with the FBI, playing a significant part in the probe against Epstein.
These claims spread specific conspiracy theories regarding Trump's history with Epstein, especially during the time they separated. As per these theories, Trump maintained contact with Epstein to obtain information with the intention of undermining him.
A few days later, a memo issued by Johnson's office revised his previous remarks, refuting that he had stated Trump was an FBI informant.
The document stated that the House Speaker was simply repeating the statements made by the victims' lawyer Brad Edwards, indicating that Trump was the only one, over ten years ago, who agreed to assist prosecutors against Epstein.
This uncertainty further raises doubts about why Trump and his administration have now turned against releasing all documents concerning Jeffrey Epstein, especially since they previously advocated for the disclosure of the Epstein files to their supporters.