House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Friday that helium and House Republicans privation "maximum transparency" connected notorious enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein and called for much accusation to beryllium made public.
"Everybody wants the Epstein files, which is the existent documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and anybody associated with that. We privation the American radical to spot it," Johnson said connected CNBC's "Squawk Box."
The talker besides insisted that President Donald Trump shares this view. "What I judge successful is maximum transparency, and truthful does President Trump," said Johnson.
The comments came aft the Wall Street Journal revealed the beingness connected Thursday of an medium of what it called "bawdy" letters compiled for Epstein's 50th day successful 2003. The medium reportedly included a missive from Trump that bore his signature and a drafting of a bare woman.
Johnson said helium discussed the study with Trump connected Friday greeting earlier appearing connected CNBC.
"The president and I talked astir that ridiculous allegation this morning. He said it's patently absurd, he's ne'er drawn specified a picture, he's ne'er thought of drafting specified a picture," the talker said.
"He's truthful frustrated by it, and he's going to upwind up, I think, suing immoderate of the media outlets that person enactment each this retired determination due to the fact that [the White House] informed them that it was wholly contrived," Johnson added.
Yet conscionable arsenic the White House mounted a full-scale messaging run to discredit the Journal's reporting, Trump besides bowed to immoderate of the unit helium is nether from Republicans to uncover much astir the lawsuit against Epstein.
Late Thursday evening, Trump announced that helium has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to merchandise "any and each pertinent Grand Jury testimony, taxable to Court approval" connected Epstein.
Grand assemblage transcripts are mostly kept tightly sealed nether national judicial rules, however, raising questions astir wherefore Trump's bid to Bondi was constricted to these records and not grounds uncovered during the investigation.
Johnson told CNBC the rules astir expansive assemblage grounds are intended to support the identities of guiltless victims, and to defender against the airing of "bogus allegations that would beryllium made against radical that can't beryllium authenticated."
Aside from records that would beryllium "held backmost from a tribunal of law," said Johnson, "I accidental enactment it retired there, and I deliberation the president believes the same."
The remarks underscore the dilemma that Johnson and Republicans in Congress face arsenic they question to fulfill their base's demands and suspicions astir Epstein, without crossing a president who insists the theories are a hoax perpetuated by Democrats.
The affluent financier died by termination successful 2019, soon aft helium was arrested connected national charges of kid enactment trafficking.
The circumstances of Epstein's decease and his connections successful beingness to affluent and almighty men — immoderate of whom allegedly abused young women connected Epstein's properties — person fueled conspiracy theories astir what the Justice Department mightiness person uncovered during their years agelong probe of him.
Democrats person seized connected the discord wrong the pro-Trump ranks, putting distant authorities that would unit the DOJ to merchandise the Epstein files. Some Republicans successful Congress person sided with those efforts.
The Republican-led House Rules Committee voted Thursday nighttime to beforehand a solution calling connected the DOJ to merchandise Epstein-related information. Democrats slammed the measurement arsenic toothless, since it would not necessitate the DOJ to comply.
On Friday morning, Trump wrote, "If determination was a 'smoking gun' connected Epstein, wherefore didn't the Dems, who controlled the 'files' for 4 years, and had Garland and Comey successful charge, usage it? BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING!!!"
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