Speaker Mike Johnson Splits From Trump, Calls for Release of Epstein Files
House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans broke with the Trump administration’s decision to keep the lid shut on the government’s files investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Johnson called on the Department of Justice to release documents and information related to the probe into the disgraced financier, who was found dead in his jail cell in 2019, and said that Attorney General Pam Bondi needs to explain previous remarks she made on the issue. This is the first time Johnson, a close Trump ally, has spoken so publicly in opposition to the president.
In an interview today with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, the Louisiana Republican was asked about the matter and said, “I’m for transparency.” Johnson added, “Look, [former President] Reagan used tell us, we should trust the American people, and I believe in that principle, and I know President Trump does as well. I trust him. I mean, he put together a team of his choosing, and they’re doing a great job. It’s a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it.”
Johnson also told the podcast host that Bondi needs to clarify her statement earlier this year when she said on Fox News that an Epstein client list was “sitting on my desk right now for review.” Bondi later claimed she was referencing the files in a more general manner.
“I think she was talking about documents, as I understood, that were on her desk,” he said. “I don’t know that she was specific about a list or whatever, but she needs to come forward and explain that to everybody.”
Last week, the Justice Department announced in a memo that it is closing the investigation into Epstein, that Epstein died by suicide, and there is no “incriminating” client list of people who potentially participated in Epstein’s sex trafficking ring that merits further inquiry. The memo has caused a simmering revolt within the MAGA media universe and contradicts preaching from prominent figures within the Trump administration — including Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel — about the need to bring justice to victims.