Washington [US], September 6 : House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday (local time) defended US President Donald Trump after he called the bipartisan push to release all files related to Jeffrey Epstein's federal investigation a "Democrat hoax."
The remarks came as survivors of Epstein's sexual abuse continue urging Congress to support legislation compelling the Department of Justice to release the documents. Pressure has been mounting in Washington over calls for full disclosure of Epstein's network and the government's handling of the case.
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Johnson claimed that Trump has been an FBI informant for decades, dating back to when Epstein was associated with Trump's Mar-A-Lago club. White House is yet to respond on the claims.
"He's [Trump] is not saying that what Epstein did is a hoax, it's a terrible, unspeakable evil, he believes that himself. When he first heard the rumour, he kicked him out of Mar-A-Lago. He was an FBI informant trying to take this down. The president knows and has great sympathy for the women who have suffered these unspeakable harms. It's detestable to him; he and I have spoken about this, as recently as 24 hours ago," Johnson told reporters.
While Johnson sought to clarify Trump's stance, the president himself has dismissed calls for greater transparency in the Epstein case, describing the demand for more disclosures as a "Democrat hoax," CNN reported.
"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 told reporters.
The debate comes amid growing frustration in Congress, with survivors warning they may move to compile their own list of alleged abusers from Epstein's network if the government fails to act. "It will be done by survivors and for survivors," Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips said, according to US media reports.
On Capitol Hill, the demand for disclosure is now being pursued on two tracks. Johnson has assured that the House Oversight Committee's probe will "uncover things that have never been uncovered before." However, critics argue the investigation may not yield much beyond what is already public, CNN reported.
In parallel, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna of California are leading a bipartisan bill to compel the release of the complete file. Massie is also working to force a floor vote on the measure through a discharge petition, which requires 218 signatures.
Massie wrote on X, "We have 214 signatures on the discharge petition to force a vote on a bill to release the Epstein files. I'm 99% certain we'll get 218. At that point @SpeakerJohnson may try to change the rules of the House, but chair of Rules Committee says she won't!"
So far, CNN reported, only four RepublicansMassie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Macehave signed on. Survivors, meanwhile, face legal risks in releasing names themselves, with some lawmakers warning they could be "sued into homelessness." Massie suggested such a list might not materialize "any time soon."
In another X post, he added, "Survivors at our press conference announced they are privately compiling their own Epstein list. They would be sued into homelessness for naming names, but @RepMTG and I are willing to name names in the House of Representatives under Constitutional 'speech or debate' immunity."
Meanwhile, both Johnson and the White House have advised Republicans against supporting Massie's petition. A White House official warned that signing on would be viewed as a "very hostile act to the administration," CNN reported.
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