Washington is once again abuzz with controversy, as House Speaker Mike Johnson made a startling assertion that has sent shockwaves through both political circles and the public at large. On September 6, 2025, Johnson told reporters that President Donald Trump had acted as an FBI informant against Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier whose sex trafficking network has haunted the highest echelons of power for years. This claim, delivered in a series of press briefings and interviews, has added a new twist to the already complicated saga surrounding Epstein, Trump, and the ongoing fight for transparency in the case.
Johnson’s comments came in response to mounting pressure in Congress and among Epstein’s survivors for the release of all federal files related to the investigation. According to CNN, he explained, “He’s not saying what Epstein did is a hoax — it’s a terrible, unspeakable evil, and he believes that himself. When he first heard the rumour, he kicked him (Epstein) out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant trying to take this down.” Johnson went further, saying that Trump “has great sympathy for the women who have suffered these unspeakable harms.” He also revealed that he and the president had discussed the matter “as recently as 24 hours ago.”
The White House has yet to comment on Johnson’s assertion, and notably, there have been no statements from the FBI or Department of Justice confirming Trump’s alleged role as an informant. As reported by the Hindustan Times, this is the first time anyone has publicly credited Trump with participating in the investigation against Epstein—an extraordinary claim, considering the president himself has not made such an admission.
Despite Johnson’s attempt to clarify Trump’s position, the president has repeatedly labeled the bipartisan push for greater transparency in the Epstein case a “Democrat hoax.” During a September 3, 2025, press conference in the Oval Office with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Trump dismissed demands for the release of additional Epstein files, stating, “Thousands and thousands of documents” had already been released. He added, “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 doubled down on this stance in a lengthy September 5 message on his social media platform, Truth Social. He wrote, “The Department of Justice has done its job, they have given everything requested of them. It’s time to end the Democrat Epstein Hoax, and give the Republicans credit for the great, even legendary job that they are doing.” He further accused the Democratic Party of using the scandal to distract from his administration’s successes, writing, “The confused and badly failing Democrat Party did nothing about Jeffrey Epstein while he was alive except befriend him, socialize with him, travel to his Island, and take his money!”
Beneath the political rhetoric, survivors of Epstein’s abuse have grown increasingly impatient with what they see as government stonewalling. On September 3, multiple press conferences were held in Washington, D.C., where survivors expressed their frustration over the lack of progress. Lisa Phillips, an Epstein survivor, announced that she and others were considering taking matters into their own hands. “Several of us Epstein survivors have been discussing creating our own list of names,” she declared, later telling NBC News of their intent to “seek justice on our own.”
The survivors’ threat to compile and release their own list of alleged abusers has not gone unnoticed on Capitol Hill. According to NDTV, lawmakers have warned that survivors could face significant legal risks if they publish names themselves, with some warning they could be “sued into homelessness.” Yet, the pressure for full disclosure continues to mount. Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, and Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, are leading a bipartisan effort to force the release of the complete Epstein file. Massie has been pushing a discharge petition in the House of Representatives, which as of early September had garnered 214 signatures—just four short of the 218 needed to force a floor vote. Massie expressed confidence on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “I’m 99% certain we’ll get 218.”
Despite this momentum, support for the petition among Republicans has been limited. As reported by CNN, only three other Republicans—Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace—have joined Massie. Both Speaker Johnson and the White House have reportedly advised Republicans against signing the petition, with a White House official warning that doing so would be viewed as a “very hostile act to the administration.”
Johnson has sought to reassure critics that the House Oversight Committee’s probe into the Epstein case will “uncover things that have never been uncovered before.” However, skepticism remains high among both survivors and some lawmakers, who argue that previous investigations have yielded little new information. Meanwhile, Massie and Representative Greene have indicated they would be willing to name names in the House under the protection of congressional immunity, should survivors’ private list remain unpublished.
Adding to the intrigue, the Hindustan Times reported on internal divisions within Trump’s own political base. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former partner, told the Department of Justice that no client list exists—a statement that has only fueled further speculation and frustration. The Trump administration’s handling of the case has caused rifts within the MAGA movement, with some activists going so far as to run sting operations targeting DOJ officials, attempting to expose alleged political bias in the release of names.
As the debate rages, the central question remains: will the public ever see the full extent of Epstein’s network, or will the truth remain shrouded in secrecy? The bipartisan push for transparency, combined with the survivors’ determination, suggests that the fight is far from over. For now, Speaker Johnson’s claim about Trump’s role as an FBI informant has only added another layer of complexity—and controversy—to an already tangled affair.
With Congress on the brink of a decisive vote and survivors considering bold new steps, the coming weeks may finally bring answers to questions that have lingered for years. Whether the truth will satisfy those demanding justice, or simply deepen the political divide, remains to be seen.
