Olivia Asher is a reporter at the New Herald Tribune covering breaking news for the Digital Trends Desk. Before joining the newsroom in 2022, she covered criminal justice issues at the Orlando Plain Dealer.
September 6 , 2025
Washington, D.C. — House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed Friday that President Donald J. Trump was, at one time, an undercover operative working with the FBI as part of a covert operation aimed at dismantling the sex trafficking network allegedly headed by Jeffrey Epstein. According to Johnson, the operation was also coordinated with Interpol and other international agencies.
“He had a secret code name and everything,” Johnson said during an afternoon press briefing at the Capitol. “People don’t understand what kind of sacrifices were made behind the scenes. This wasn’t about politics. This was about justice.”
Speaker Johnson did not present evidence to support the claim and did not respond to follow-up questions from reporters seeking clarification. A spokesperson for Johnson’s office later stated that further details would be released “when national security protocols allow.”
The FBI declined to comment on the allegation. A senior official, speaking on background, said they were “not aware of any undercover role” played by Trump and reiterated that details of past or ongoing operations are typically classified. Interpol also issued a brief statement, noting that it does not confirm or deny involvement in specific operations involving member countries, and that any cooperation with U.S. agencies would remain confidential unless formally declassified.
Legal experts and former intelligence officials have expressed skepticism, citing the lack of corroborating documentation and the highly sensitive nature of such operations. “It would be extremely unusual — virtually unprecedented — for a civilian, much less a billionaire real estate developer and future president, to serve as an undercover operative in a criminal sting,” said Allison Greer, a former federal prosecutor and national security analyst. “If this is true, it would be one of the most extraordinary covert assignments in modern U.S. history. But that’s a very big if.”
Trump has not commented publicly on Johnson’s remarks. His legal team, reached by multiple outlets, declined to confirm or deny the claim.
The President has previously distanced himself from Jeffrey Epstein, although photographs and public records have shown that the two were acquainted in the 1990s and early 2000s. Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
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