Speaker Mike Johnson says he has no questions about Trump’s name in the Epstein files, and maintains Trump was a hero

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has made it incredibly clear that the recently released Jeffrey Epstein documents haven’t raised a single question for him regarding President Trump’s relationship with the disgraced financier. Johnson stated that he doesn’t have any outstanding concerns, even though President Trump’s name appeared repeatedly in the millions of pages of newly public files.

I think this is a pretty intense stance to take, especially since the files are so massive and the implications are so wide-reaching. Johnson explained his confidence by saying that he’s spoken to President Trump about the matter privately and personally many times. He claims the president speaks just as candidly in private as he does in public and has never had any concern about the issue, per NBC.

Johnson even went a step further, positioning President Trump as a hero in the situation. He pointed out that President Trump was one of the first people to call Epstein out. Johnson said the president kicked Epstein off his property at Mar-a-Lago after hearing about some of the nefarious activities he was engaged in.

Trump turning on his long-time buddy Epstein only when they were going to get in trouble, somehow makes him a hero

The release of these documents was mandated by a law signed by President Trump last year, requiring all documents related to Epstein be shared with the public. The US Department of Justice, or DOJ, posted three million pages, 180,000 images, and 2,000 videos last Friday. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said this drop signals the end of the comprehensive document identification and review process, intended to ensure transparency.

While the DOJ may feel its job is complete, many are still skeptical. The release came six weeks after the department missed its deadline of December 19 to share all the files. A group representing Epstein survivors issued a statement saying that the release was not enough, noting that “Epstein’s enablers continue to benefit from secrecy.”

The documents themselves contain hundreds of mentions of President Trump. We must stress that merely appearing in the Epstein files does not imply or amount to criminal wrongdoing. The DOJ itself addressed the mentions of the president directly. The department stated that some of the documents contain “untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump” that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. The DOJ was clear, saying these claims are “unfounded and false.”

Despite Johnson’s confidence, the execution of the release process has drawn sharp criticism from those representing the victims. Gloria Allred, a women’s rights lawyer who represents many survivors, said that the department has “devastated so many of these survivors” by publicly releasing their names.

Allred noted that in some instances, the names had lines drawn through them, but you could still easily read the identity underneath. In other cases, photos of survivors who had never spoken publicly were shown. Allred called the situation “an absolute mess” and said the department “should be ashamed of themselves.” The law mandates that redactions should only be made to protect victims or information currently under investigation.

The scope of the documents is massive, stretching back more than a decade and showcasing Epstein’s relationships with other high-profile figures, too. The files included correspondence with tech billionaire Elon Musk, who asked Epstein when the “wildest party” on his island would be. Musk has maintained that he never actually visited the island.

The files also contained lurid, unverified allegations regarding Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. A spokesperson for Gates dismissed these claims as “absolutely absurd and completely false,” saying the documents only show Epstein’s frustration that he didn’t have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to “entrap and defame.”