In a rare show of defiance towards Donald Trump, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has publicly called on the US Department of Justice to release all documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, whose 2019 death in federal custody has long fuelled conspiracy theories across the political spectrum, particularly among Trump’s rightwing base.
Speaking to conservative podcaster Benny Johnson in an interview released on Tuesday, the House Speaker broke ranks with the president by advocating for full transparency on the Epstein case, which continues to stir controversy.
“It’s a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it,” Johnson said. “I agree with the sentiment that we need to put it out there.”
His remarks follow last week’s announcement from the Justice Department that reaffirmed Epstein’s death as a suicide and confirmed that no client list would be made public, nor would further disclosures be forthcoming. The statement reignited anger among Trump’s conservative supporters, many of whom believed the president had promised to uncover the full truth about Epstein’s alleged network of wealthy and powerful abusers.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, a close Trump ally, has come under particular scrutiny. In February, Bondi told Fox News that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review”. Referencing the remark, Johnson said: “She needs to come forward and explain that to everybody. We need the DoJ focusing on the major priorities. So let’s get this thing resolved.”
Earlier in the day, House Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to attach language to pending legislation that would have required the Justice Department to disclose all files relating to Epstein. Despite this, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have demanded that its Republican chair, Trump loyalist Jim Jordan, convene hearings involving Bondi, her deputy, and FBI leadership to provide public answers.
Trump, who has faced increasing pressure from his Maga base over the issue, attempted to quell the growing discontent over the weekend. Writing on Truth Social, he said: “One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it’s the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. Let’s keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”
On Tuesday, before departing for Pittsburgh, Trump briefly defended Bondi and hinted at the possibility of future disclosures. “She’s handled it very well, and it’s going to be up to her. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release,” he said.
Bondi, however, remained evasive when pressed by NBC News about the mounting frustration from Trump’s supporters. “We’re going to fight to keep America safe again,” she said, pivoting to the administration’s focus on drug enforcement and trafficking. “We’ve got a war on drugs. We’ve got a war on human trafficking. We’ve got cartels in this country … and we’ve got foreign adversaries around this world as well.”
When asked specifically about Trump’s remarks encouraging her to release “credible” files, she responded tersely: “Today, our memo speaks for itself. We’ll get back to you on anything else. I haven’t seen all of his statements today.”
At a press conference earlier that day on fentanyl overdoses, Bondi refused to answer questions relating to Epstein. “Today is about fentanyl overdoses throughout our country and people who have lost loved ones to fentanyl,” she said. “That’s the message that we’re here to send today. Not Epstein. Not going to talk about Epstein.”
