Key points: House Speaker Mike Johnson said a forthcoming vote to release Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein should remove allegations linking President Trump to Epstein's crimes. Johnson called the disclosure effort politically motivated and insisted "there's nothing to hide." Emails released by a House committee showed Epstein believed Trump "knew about the girls," though the meaning was unclear. The dispute over further disclosures prompted Trump to order DOJ inquiries and strained relations with allies such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who continues to demand transparency.
House Speaker Johnson: Vote to Release Epstein DOJ Files Should 'Put to Rest' Allegations Against Trump
Key points: House Speaker Mike Johnson said a forthcoming vote to release Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein should remove allegations linking President Trump to Epstein's crimes. Johnson called the disclosure effort politically motivated and insisted "there's nothing to hide." Emails released by a House committee showed Epstein believed Trump "knew about the girls," though the meaning was unclear. The dispute over further disclosures prompted Trump to order DOJ inquiries and strained relations with allies such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who continues to demand transparency.
12:38 AM, 11/17/2025Politics
House Speaker: Release of Epstein DOJ Files Will 'Put to Rest' Allegations
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday that an upcoming vote to release Justice Department records related to Jeffrey Epstein should help dispel allegations tying President Donald Trump to the late sex offender's abuse and trafficking of underage girls.
"They're doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not," Johnson told Fox News Sunday. "Epstein is their entire game plan, so we're going to take that weapon out of their hands. Let's just get this done and move on. There's nothing to hide."
Johnson noted that while Trump and Epstein were photographed together decades ago, the president has said the two men had fallen out before Epstein's convictions. Last week, emails released by a House committee showed Epstein believed Trump "knew about the girls," but the committee records did not clarify what Epstein meant by the phrase.
Following those disclosures, President Trump instructed the Department of Justice to investigate alleged ties between prominent Democrats and Epstein. The push to disclose more Epstein-related documents — an issue Trump championed — has created friction within the Republican congressional caucus.
Late Friday, Trump withdrew his support for Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia after she criticized GOP handling of certain matters, including the handling of Epstein materials. On CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, Greene said she did not expect the still-unreleased files to implicate the president but renewed calls for greater transparency. "I don't believe that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have done anything wrong," she said.
Reporting by Douglas Gillison and Andrew Goudsward in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non and Paul Simao.