November 16, 2025 10:27 PM IST
First published on: Nov 16, 2025 at 10:26 PM IST
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., walks from the chamber to speak with reporters after the final vote to bring the longest government shutdown in history to an end, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP)
US House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday he supported releasing Justice Department files linked to Jeffrey Epstein and argued the move would help settle allegations that US President Donald Trump had any involvement with the late financier’s abuse and trafficking of underage girls, Reuters reported.
Speaking on the Fox News Sunday programme, Johnson said: “They’re doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not.”
He added, “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 it on. There’s nothing to hide.”
Trump and Epstein were photographed together many years ago, but Trump has said they fell out before Epstein’s convictions.
Emails and political tensions
Emails released last week by a House committee showed Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls”, though the meaning of the phrase was unclear. Trump has since directed the Justice Department to look into the ties between Epstein and senior Democrats.
The debate over releasing more documents has caused tension between Trump and some of his supporters in Congress. Trump withdrew his backing for Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday after she criticised Republicans, including on how the Epstein files were being handled.
Calls for transparency
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Greene said she did not believe the unreleased files would implicate Trump but repeated her demand for openness. “I don’t believe that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have done anything wrong,” she said.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., walks from the chamber to speak with reporters after the final vote to bring the longest government shutdown in history to an end, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP) 
