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

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."

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.

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."

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.

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.

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."