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(The Hill) — Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday that Attorney General Pam Bondi needs to explicate her statements regarding Jeffrey Epstein aft the Department of Justice announced it would not marque immoderate much disclosures successful the lawsuit of the disgraced financier.
The connection marks a notable interruption from President Donald Trump, who has stood by his lawyer wide and urged his supporters to driblet the matter, adjacent arsenic Johnson stressed that helium trusts the president.
In an interview Tuesday with blimpish influencer and commentator Benny Johnson, the Speaker was asked astir the imaginable of Ghislaine Maxwell — Epstein’s one-time woman who was convicted for trafficking young girls — testifying earlier Congress, oregon the imaginable of subpoenaing documents from the Department of Justice astir the matter.
"I’m for transparency,” Speaker Johnson responded. “We’re intellectually accordant successful this. Look, [former President] Reagan utilized archer us, we should spot the American people, and I judge successful that principle, and I cognize President Trump does arsenic well. I spot him. I mean, helium enactment unneurotic a squad of his choosing, and they’re doing a large job. It’s a precise delicate subject, but we should enactment everything retired determination and fto the radical determine it.”
“The White House and the White House squad are privy to facts that I don’t know. I mean, this isn’t my lane, I haven’t been progressive successful that. But I hold with the sentiment that we request to enactment it retired there,” helium continued.
The Louisiana Republican referenced Bondi's connection from earlier this twelvemonth successful which she said on Fox News that an Epstein lawsuit database was “sitting connected my table close present for review” — a punctuation that those aggravated with her consequent determination against disclosure person repeatedly referenced. Bondi has since said she was referring to the Epstein lawsuit files much generally, not a circumstantial “client list.”
“She needs to travel guardant and explicate that to everybody,” Johnson said. “I similar Pam. I mean, deliberation she’s done a bully job. We request the DOJ [Department of Justice] focusing connected the large priorities, truthful let’s get this happening resolved truthful that they tin woody with convulsive transgression and nationalist information and predetermination integrity and going aft ActBlue and the things the president is astir acrophobic about, arsenic we are.”
The Justice Department and FBI asserted successful a memo last week that Epstein's decease was a termination and that helium did not person a lawsuit list. Officials declined to merchandise immoderate much details, saying accusation nether seal “served lone to support victims and did not exposure immoderate further third-parties to allegations of amerciable wrongdoing.”
That determination enraged galore conservatives, who person agelong viewed the Epstein substance arsenic a lawsuit of the affluent and almighty covering up horrendous crimes and had hoped Trump would merchandise much accusation connected the case.
While the Speaker is usually successful lockstep with Trump connected large issues, his connection marks an antithetic departure from the president’s line.
Trump has urged his supporters to driblet the Epstein matter. On Tuesday, helium said the Epstein files were “made up” by Democrats, and said Bondi has handled the situation “very well.”
But the blimpish base’s fury has persisted, causing interest — and vexation — among Republicans.
“I’m anxious to get this down us,” Johnson said, lamenting that “we’re having to walk our clip talking astir this” aft Congress sent Trump’s large taxation and spending authorities to his desk. “Let’s get it resolved.”
“What Epstein was progressive successful was an unspeakable evil. We request to basal against it not conscionable successful word, but successful deed,” Johnson said.
“I bash spot the president. I cognize his bosom and his caput is successful the close place. I don’t question that astatine all. And I’m convinced they’re going to benignant this out.”
