US house speaker Mike Johnson backtracked his claim that US President Donald Trump was an FBI informant in the Jeffrey Epstein case — a remark that confused even former Trump officials.Speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Thursday, Johnson said, “He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down.” “The president knows ― and has great sympathy for the women who suffered these unspeakable harms. It’s detestable to him,” he added.Also read: ‘He was an FBI informant’: House speaker Johnson defends Trump on Epstein; calls ‘Democrat hoax’ claim misrepresentedBy Sunday, Johnson’s office walked back the statement. “The speaker is reiterating what the victims’ attorney said, which is that Donald Trump – who kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago – was the only one more than a decade ago willing to help prosecutors expose Epstein for being a disgusting child predator,” the statement said.Brad Edwards, an attorney representing several Epstein victims, told reporters Wednesday that Trump had helped him investigate claims against Epstein more than a decade ago, but had since shifted his stance. Edwards did not say whether Trump had cooperated with law enforcement, reported The Guardian.Johnson’s remarks came as lawmakers in both parties push the US justice department to release more information about Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor and died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.A House effort led by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna seeks to force a vote on legislation requiring the release of all Epstein-related files. The House oversight committee has also issued subpoenas for more records.On Wednesday, several victims spoke at a press conference urging lawmakers to support the legislation. Johnson has opposed the measure.The Trump administration previously pledged to investigate Epstein’s crimes, though victims’ lawyers say they have not heard from the justice department. While campaigning in 2024, Trump promised to release a full list of Epstein’s clients, but the department has said no such list exists. Trump has since dismissed the matter as the “Democrat Epstein Hoax.”Trump and Epstein were longtime friends before a falling-out around 2004. In July, Trump said the split came after Epstein took workers from the Mar-a-Lago spa, including Virginia Giuffre, who was later abused by Epstein.
