ISTANBUL

US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday said that President Donald Trump once acted as an “FBI informant” in connection with Jeffrey Epstein, a statement that has not been independently confirmed.

“When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down,” Johnson said in a walking interview with CNN’s Manu Raju.

The comment came as Johnson pushed back against Rep. Thomas Massie, who is leading a discharge petition to force the release of the so-called Epstein files. Johnson dismissed the effort as “totally unfounded,” insisting the petition was “mooted” and “not necessary.”

Asked about Trump’s past remarks describing parts of the Epstein controversy as a “hoax,” Johnson said: “It’s been misrepresented. He’s not saying what Epstein did is a hoax. … It’s a terrible, unspeakable evil. He believes that himself.”

Johnson did not clarify whom he was describing as the informant, and there is no public record confirming Trump or Epstein ever served in that role with the FBI.

According to Blaze Media, neither Johnson’s office nor the White House responded to requests for comment.