US President Donald Trump (AP)
US house speaker Mike Johnson defended President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about the Jeffrey Epstein case on Friday, saying the president always took accusations against the convicted sex offender seriously and was actually an “FBI informant.”“He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down,” Johnson said. “The president knows ― and has great sympathy for the women who suffered these unspeakable harms. It’s detestable to him.” Johnson made the comments after reporters pressed him about Trump calling demands for additional Epstein files “the Democrat Epstein Hoax,” despite Republicans and much of Trump’s base also requesting the documents.“What Trump is referring to is the hoax that the Democrats are using to try to attack him,” Johnson said. “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. When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago.”
‘Democrat Epstein hoax’
On Friday, in a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the matter is “merely another Democrat HOAX” and called for the closure of the case.He had said the same a while back during an Oval Office appearance alongside the president of Poland. Though Trump has downplayed his relationship with Epstein, he told New York Magazine in 2002, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy.” In July, The Washington Post published the contents of a lewd birthday card reportedly given by Trump to Epstein in 2003, which included the message: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump denies involvement with the card.Sources said, as reported by HuffPost, Trump and Epstein frequently socialised in Palm Beach, Florida, until a falling-out in late 2004. The New York Times reported the split stemmed from a real estate dispute and that Trump was upset because Epstein “acted inappropriately to the daughter of a member of Mar-a-Lago.” Shortly afterward, Palm Beach police received tips about young women coming and going from Epstein’s home.
