Johnson told reporters, “Trump has never said, suggested, or implied anything like that. I’ve spoken to him many times. He is horrified. It’s been misrepresented. He is not claiming what Epstein did was a hoax. It’s a terrible, unspeakable evil, and he believes that himself. When he first heard the rumor, he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago. He was acting as an FBI informant to try to take this down.”
The comment spread quickly, and not everyone took it seriously. One user joked online, “No officer, I am an FBI informant tasked with smoking this weed.”
By Sunday, Johnson had shifted his story. His office released a statement to The Washington Post, saying Trump was simply willing to help prosecutors expose Epstein, the victims’ attorney had noted. He had kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago, but he was not an FBI informant.
There is a big difference between being willing to help prosecutors and being an actual FBI informant. Johnson had made the more dramatic claim in front of cameras and reporters, which made the original statement all the more misleading.
This was not a minor slip. Did Johnson expect people to believe Trump was secretly recording Epstein while socializing with him in the 1990s? Making a massive claim like that and then walking it back so casually highlights how normal deception has become in this administration.
The Trump administration has handled the Epstein case with misinformation from the very beginning. Back then, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had the Epstein files on her desk. Now, the House Speaker is presenting a president who has called the whole situation a hoax as if he were a secret agent trying to stop Epstein.
“It was a fantastical story, but only for about a day,” said GOP Representative Thomas Massie. He is leading the bipartisan effort to push for the full release of the Epstein files.
It was a fantastical story for about a day. What compelled (former career attorney) Mike Johnson to claim the President was an FBI informant? https://t.co/pUXDYadF58 pic.twitter.com/n5Q46WwrOA
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) September 8, 2025
Massie added, “I keep asking myself what would make former career attorney Mike Johnson say that the President was an FBI informant. It just doesn’t make sense,” according to New Republic.
