Karoline Leavitt shoots down Mike Johnson’s claim Trump was FBI informant against Epstein

Karoline Leavitt rejected Mike Johnson’s claim, stressing Donald Trump only expelled Jeffrey Epstein from Mar-a-Lago and was never an FBI informant
Karoline Leavitt flatly rejected Mike Johnson’s claim that President Trump was an FBI informant on Epstein (Getty Images)
Karoline Leavitt flatly rejected Mike Johnson’s claim that President Trump was an FBI informant on Epstein (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday, September 9, firmly rejected House Speaker Mike Johnson’s startling suggestion that President Donald Trump once acted as an FBI informant to take down financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Johnson made the claim in an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju, when he was asked about Trump’s past ties to the disgraced financier.

Although Trump has acknowledged knowing Epstein years ago, he has long dismissed any deeper connection as a “hoax.” Johnson, however, told Raju that Trump’s friendship with Epstein was part of a covert federal operation.

Trump was not an FBI informant on Jeffrey Epstein

At White House briefing, Leavitt dismissed the claim when pressed about Johnson’s remarks. “I can affirm that is not true. I think the Speaker was referring to the fact that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago property for reasons the president has already discussed,” she said, making clear that Trump never served as an FBI operative.

Portrait of American financier Jeffrey Epstein (left) and real estate developer Donald Trump as they pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1997. (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
Donald Trump posed with Jeffrey Epstein at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, 1997 (Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)

Trump continues to face calls from both Democrats and some Republicans to release more information about Epstein. Several Democratic lawmakers have speculated that Trump’s prior ties to the late financier raise questions about what he may be withholding.

Leavitt stressed that Johnson’s claim had no factual basis. The dispute came as Congress released a handwritten note said to be a birthday greeting from Trump to Epstein, complete with a sketch of a nude woman. Leavitt reinforced the denial, saying: “The president did not write the letter.”



 

Speaking with CNN, Johnson claimed Trump “was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down,” referencing the president’s falling out with Epstein nearly two decades ago.

Karoline Leavitt accuses critics of exploiting victims

Leavitt accused Trump’s opponents of “pretending to care about victims of crime” while ignoring broader child exploitation issues.

“They do not care about victims of crime when they have done nothing to solve crimes, when they have done nothing to lock up child pedophiles and child r*pists across the country,” Leavitt said, dismissing renewed scrutiny as political theater.

When asked if Trump would meet survivors of Epstein’s s*x trafficking network following newly unsealed congressional files, Leavitt declined to give a direct answer.

She also rejected the authenticity of the materials, insisting that both the greeting and the signatures were fabricated. “The Democrats view this story as nothing more than an attempt to distract from the accomplishments and the achievements of this administration, and that is what we mean when we call it a hoax,” she said.

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Dylan Mulvaney reshared an inspirational quote, attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, that Kaitlan Collins had posted while recapping the dinner
3 minutes ago
Shelley Capito said Mitch McConnell is recovering in a rehabilitation hospital and remains 'clear-minded,' citing someone who recently visited him
2 hours ago
Rosie O'Donnell and Trump have traded public criticism for nearly 20 years, with O'Donnell emerging as one of his most prominent celebrity critics
7 hours ago
Just days earlier, Trump had used his appearance at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner to take several shots at Springsteen
9 hours ago
The five-alarm fire that tore through three buildings also injured 20 people, including 17 firefighters
21 hours ago
The alleged ransom note claimed Nancy Guthrie was safe, demanded Bitcoin payment, and threatened to kill her if the ransom was not paid
22 hours ago
Relatives named Amanda Karolkiewicz, Kristopher Karolkiewicz and their six children as authorities continue investigating the fatal blaze
1 day ago
'It is not political, and it is not a platform for those connected to such views. His presence would be deeply hurtful', Galante said about Mamdani
1 day ago
By the time firefighters arrived, flames had spread to nearby homes, escalating the blaze to five alarms due to tightly packed buildings
1 day ago
The White House clip, shared on TikTok, featured dramatic footage of American military strikes while Perry's global hit played underneath
1 day ago