Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to release concealed documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, marking a significant break in support from an otherwise staunch Republican ally.
Johnson’s call on Benny Johnson’s podcast came days after Trump blamed Democrats for the creation of the Epstein files and attempted to shut down demands for their release. Conspiracies around Epstein’s 2019 death and potential evidence in his criminal case continue to swirl, as his administration refuses to share the so-called files. The president’s see-sawing approach to the Epstein inquiry is causing a rift between his supporters, including Johnson, who on Tuesday called on Trump to deliver on his promise to expose the full scope of Epstein’s criminality, which the president himself has campaigned to uncover. Despite growing tensions between the president and some high-level supporters, their willingness to criticize him was not reflected in a vote brought by Democrats to change legislation in a manner that would legally require the government to make the Epstein files public.