Mike Johnson says Trump was an 'FBI informant' in Epstein probe when asked about POTUS' 'hoax' claim

Mike Johnson insisted that Donald Trump's 'hoax' remarks referred to Democrats’ use of the Jeffrey Epstein case for political attacks
PUBLISHED SEP 6, 2025
Mike Johnson defended Donald Trump in an exchange with CNN’s Manu Raju about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal (X/@MAGAVoice)
Mike Johnson defended Donald Trump in an exchange with CNN’s Manu Raju about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal (X/@MAGAVoice)


 

WASHINGTON, DC: House Speaker Mike Johnson called President Donald Trump an "FBI informant" in the Jeffrey Epstein case when CNN’s Manu Raju pressed him about the president labeling the scandal a "hoax."

On Wednesday, September 3, the MAGA leader once again called the Epstein scandal a "hoax." He told reporters, "This is a Democrat hoax that never ends."

Mike Johnson says Trump believes Epstein’s crimes are 'terrible, unspeakable evil'

While discussing Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, Manu Raju asked Mike Johnson, "But Trump called it a hoax yesterday?"

The House speaker replied, "What Trump is referring to is the hoax that the Democrats are using to try to attack him. I’ve talked to him about this many times. He is horrified. 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."

Johnson continued, "When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down."

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a cabinet meeting with members of his administration in the Cabinet Room of the White House on August 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. This is the seventh cabinet meeting of Trump's second term. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Donald Trump attended a cabinet meeting with senior officials in the White House Cabinet Room on August 26, 2025 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump, meanwhile, told reporters, "From what I understand, thousands of pages of documents have been given. But it’s really a Democrat hoax because they’re trying to get people to talk about something totally irrelevant to the success that we’ve had as a nation since I’ve been president."

Johnson offered no additional details about Trump’s alleged role as an FBI informant in the Epstein investigation.

 U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a news conference after a House Republican Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on September 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. House Republicans are working towards agreeing to pass a continuing resolution on the House floor to fund the government through December 20th. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Mike Johnson spoke at a news conference after a House Republican Caucus meeting at the US Capitol on September 24, 2024 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

He added, "The president knows and has great sympathy for the women who have suffered these unspeakable harms. It is detestable to him."

When asked if Trump should meet with Epstein’s victims, Johnson said, "I suspect he probably will. He has a very compassionate heart. He hates that these women suffered those harms. He hates what Epstein is accused of and who he was."

President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office at the White House on September 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. Following days of speculation about his health from users on social media, President Trump made his first public appearance in a week to announce the moving of Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Donald Trump addressed reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on September 2, 2025 (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

He added, "And when he realized Epstein wasn’t just a socialite but someone involved in evil schemes, the president distanced himself from that long before he was in office. That’s not who he is. I think he’s being falsely accused and maligned, and that’s what he means when he says hoax."

Trump’s ties with Epstein

Donald Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has long been documented. Trump admitted he was friendly with the disgraced financier throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.

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)
Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997 (Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)

The president and Melania Trump, who was then his girlfriend, were photographed with Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell at a Mar-a-Lago party in February 2000.

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Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 12, 2000 (Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)

During the campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to release Epstein-related files, but many supporters expressed disappointment when the DOJ concluded in July that Epstein had indeed died by suicide and there was no so-called "client list."

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