He May Have Pulled The Trigger, But Charlie Kirk’s Suspected Killer Didn’t ‘Act Alone’
The alleged 'radicalized' assassin did not get to this moment on his own. Investigation details show a young man steeped in leftist dogma.The alleged 'radicalized' assassin did not get to this moment on his own. Investigation details show a young man steeped in leftist dogma.'He was an FBI informant': Speaker Johnson makes puzzling claim about Trump and Epstein
With Congress back in session after the August recess, pressure has once again been mounting for more answers surrounding the Epstein case. In a surprise moment during an interview, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) claimed Trump's disgust with Epstein's actions dates back decades — and involved an "FBI informant."
In a walking interview with CNN reporter Manu Raju on Friday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson addressed concerns over the Epstein files and the efforts of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) for disclosure.
'When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down.'
Speaker Johnson criticized Massie and his "antics," claiming that Massie's "attacks" were "totally unfounded." Massie has led the charge in pushing for disclosure of the Epstein files in the form of a discharge petition.
Johnson called the discharge petition "mooted" and "not necessary," adding that six women who came forward on Thursday "represent as many as a thousand other women, most of whom are not comfortable coming forward."
RELATED: Thomas Massie leads pressure campaign, forcing Congress to address Epstein
The reporter pressed him on Trump's calling the Epstein debacle a "hoax," leading to an unexpected statement.
"I've talked to him about this many times. ... It's been misrepresented. He's not saying what Epstein did is a hoax. ... It's a terrible, unspeakable evil. He believes that himself," Johnson said. "When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down."
It is not clear whom Speaker Johnson was referring to as an "FBI informant." However, it is not publicly confirmed whether Trump or Epstein ever worked in this capacity for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Blaze News contacted Speaker Johnson's office and the White House but did not receive a response.
This is a developing story.
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House Republicans Pushing New Amnesty Bill Have Stabbed Conservatives In The Back
It clearly illustrates congressional Republicans' apparent compulsion to betray their base.Trump looks to rally Republicans as Senate takes up his 'big, beautiful bill'
Congress is back in session, and President Donald Trump has wasted no time lobbying lawmakers to pass his "big, beautiful bill" in the Senate.
House Republicans narrowly passed reconciliation by a 215-214 vote in May after weeks of negotiations that crescendoed with Trump's appearance on Capitol Hill to rein in remaining holdouts. After a dramatic saga on the House side, the bill was sent to the Senate, where it will inevitably be rewritten and returned to the House.
The Senate is now back in session with the hopes of sending the bill back by the July 4 deadline, but trouble is already beginning to emerge in the upper chamber.
'So many false statements are being made about 'THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL.'
RELATED: The senators to watch in reconciliation’s next battle
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri was one of the first senators to draw a red line with respect to reconciliation. Hawley has repeatedly said that any cuts to Medicaid make him a "no" vote on the landmark legislation and has said the president backs his position.
"So many false statements are being made about 'THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,' but what nobody understands is that it's the single biggest Spending Cut in History, by far!" Trump said Monday. "But there will be NO CUTS to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid.
"The only 'cutting' we will do is for Waste, Fraud, and Abuse, something that should have been done by the Incompetent, Radical Left Democrats for the last four years, but wasn’t," Trump added.
Although there haven't been any direct cuts to the program, House conservatives fought for amendments to the Medicaid work requirements that would weed out bad actors and ensure that only those eligible receive the benefits. These work requirements were integral in gaining support from fiscal conservatives, and any attempt to roll them back may cost Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) some votes.
RELATED: Elon Musk takes jab at Trump’s 'big, beautiful, bill': 'I was disappointed'
Fiscal conservatives on the Senate side are also giving Trump a hard time, particularly Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Trump has likened Paul to Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky in public and in private, noting their refusal to vote for other spending bills in the past. Massie was one of the two "no" votes on the bill in the House, and Paul is expected to vote against it in the Senate.
"The math doesn't add up," Paul said Tuesday. "I'm not supporting a bill that increases the debt by $5T. I refuse to support maintaining Biden spending levels."
"Rand votes NO on everything, but never has any practical or constructive ideas," Trump said Tuesday. "His ideas are actually crazy (losers!). The people of Kentucky can’t stand him. This is a BIG GROWTH BILL!"
RELATED: Spending hawks dig their heels in as White House battles to keep 'big, beautiful bill' afloat
With reconciliation talks back in full swing on the Senate side, Trump has been keeping Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) at arm's length.
Thune can afford to lose only three votes on the bill due to the 53-seat majority Republicans secured in November. Thune has reiterated his goal to find more savings and to permanently extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act just as Trump has asked for, and he is pushing for the July 4 deadline.
"When the American people elected [Trump] and a Republican Congress last November, they expected us to deliver," Thune said Tuesday. "We’ve worked hard to deliver on our mandate, and we are not taking our foot off the gas."
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Elon Musk takes jab at Trump’s 'big, beautiful, bill': 'I was disappointed'
President Donald Trump was working around the clock with House Republican leadership to secure enough votes for his "big, beautiful bill." After several overnight sessions and closed-door meetings, the bill passed the House last week with just one vote to spare.
Although many Trump allies championed the achievement, DOGE head Elon Musk expressed disappointment with the landmark legislation.
'I think a bill can be big, or it could be beautiful. But I don't know if it could be both.'
RELATED: Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' narrowly passes the House, notching another win for Johnson
In the days leading up to the vote, the fate of the bill was still unclear. Apart from spending hawks demanding deeper cuts and significant Medicaid reform, the SALT Caucus Republicans kept demanding a higher and higher cap for state and local tax deductions.
With several roadblocks in the way of the bill, Trump met with House Republicans multiple times both on the Hill and in the White House in an attempt to shepherd any defectors. The bill later passed in a 215-214 vote, with two Republicans voting against the bill, one voting present, and two not voting at all.
While most Republicans and Trump allies took a victory lap, Musk said he was "disappointed" by the bill.
"I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," Musk said.
"I think a bill can be big, or it could be beautiful," Musk added. "But I don't know if it could be both."
'Hopefully, the Senate will succeed with the big, beautiful bill where the House missed the moment.'
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Musk is not alone in his disappointment. Several House Republicans, like House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.), said the bill does not do enough to address federal spending. Notably, Harris was one of the conservative holdouts leading up to the vote and was the only Republican who voted present on the bill.
“I share Mr. Musk’s concerns about the short-term adverse effect on the federal deficit of the limited spending reductions in the BBB," Harris told Blaze News. "Debt markets remained concerned about U.S. total debt and annual deficits. Hopefully the Senate will take those concerns into consideration as the legislative process moves forward.”
Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio echoed Musk's concerns about spending, urging the Senate to deepen spending cuts. Davidson and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky were the only two GOP members to vote against the bill.
"Hopefully, the Senate will succeed with the big, beautiful bill where the House missed the moment," Davidson said.
The bill is now on its way to the Senate, where lawmakers will inevitably rewrite major portions of the bill before punting it back over to the House before the proposed July 4 deadline.
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