{"id":2479295,"date":"2025-08-27T00:23:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T04:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-mike-collins-caught-on-hot-mic-saying-trump-is-in-the-epstein-files-2\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T00:24:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T04:24:55","slug":"republican-mike-collins-caught-on-hot-mic-saying-trump-is-in-the-epstein-files-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-mike-collins-caught-on-hot-mic-saying-trump-is-in-the-epstein-files-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican Mike Collins caught on hot mic saying Trump is &#8216;in&#8217; the Epstein files"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublican-mike-collins-caught-on-hot-mic-saying-trump-is-in-the-epstein-files-2%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2479295&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports that Republican Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia, who is running for the U.S. Senate, was caught on a hot mic saying that former President Donald trump is mentioned in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Collins suggested trump&#8217;s name appears not because of wrongdoing but because Trump cooperated wiht the FBI and had banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago resort. Collins supports making the epstein case files public, although legal barriers have delayed their full release.<\/p>\n<p>this statement comes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secy-blinken-pledges-u-s-support-for-gulf-oil-sheikdoms\/\" title=\"Secy. Blinken pledges U.S. support for Gulf oil Sheikdoms\">amid ongoing tensions<\/a> in the GOP regarding transparency of Epstein-related documents, which Trump has resisted despite earlier promises. The Department of Justice recently sent a heavily redacted set of Epstein files to Congress after a bipartisan subpoena, spurring calls from some lawmakers for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-slapped-unprecedented-gag-order-on-media-execs\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Slapped \u2018Unprecedented\u2019 Gag Order On Media Execs\">full public disclosure<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy has become a point of debate in Georgia&#8217;s Republican Senate primary, featuring Collins and othre candidates vying for Trump&#8217;s endorsement. While Collins has pushed for the release of the files, other candidates like Rep. Buddy Carter align closely with Trump&#8217;s stance of allowing the current legal process to unfold, and Derek Dooley has so far avoided the topic.<\/p>\n<p>The article also notes that Democrats, including Sen. Jon Ossoff,have criticized Trump&#8217;s handling of the Epstein files,framing it as a broken promise. Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Epstein&#8217;s estate for various records, highlighting the continuing congressional efforts to uncover facts related to Epstein&#8217;s crimes and associates. <br \/> <!DOCTYPE html><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Republican Mike Collins caught on hot mic saying Trump is &lsquo;in&rsquo; the Epstein files<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2213208\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3483700\/mike-collins-launches-bid-for-georgia-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mike Collins<\/a> (R-GA) said he believes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">President Donald Trump<\/a> is mentioned in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3779211\/doj-sends-first-round-epstein-records-house-oversight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Epstein files<\/a> and wants the case files of the convicted sex offender made public. <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Georgia<\/a>&nbsp;Senate candidate was pressed by an attendee at an Aug. 13 Muscogee County GOP meeting on whether Trump was in the files. Collins replied that he believed the president was &ldquo;in there,&rdquo; but only because Trump &ldquo;was the one that was telling the FBI about it,&rdquo; and had previously barred Jeffrey Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, according to an audio recording of the exchange <a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?feature=shared&amp;v=-7I-BoWSIoQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posted to YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3783782\/catelin-drey-flip-iowa-state-senate-seat-supermajority\/\">Catelin Drey flips Iowa state Senate seat to break GOP supermajority<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3783538\/dnc-passes-neutrality-clause-david-hogg-primary-drama\/\">DNC passes neutrality clause after David Hogg primary drama<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3783178\/afghanistan-veteran-alex-pelbath-launches-house-bid-south-carolina\/\">Afghanistan commander Alex Pelbath launches bid to replace Nancy Mace in House<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The second-term congressman and trucking executive said he supports making the records public. &ldquo;We need to release it. I have no problem releasing it,&rdquo; he said, cautioning that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-mike-collins-caught-on-hot-mic-saying-trump-is-in-the-epstein-files\/\" title=\"... on hot-mic saying ... is &#039;in&#039; the ...\">legal complications involving judges<\/a> and grand jury material have slowed the process.<\/p>\n<p>A Collins campaign spokesman&nbsp;defended the remarks, saying, &ldquo;Mike&rsquo;s words speak for themselves: President Trump was right about everything, kicked Epstein to the curb, and did nothing wrong. This &lsquo;story&rsquo; is a massive nothingburger from never-Trump consultants using DNC talking points. They won&rsquo;t stop Mike&rsquo;s momentum delivering results for the America First agenda. Thank you for your attention to this matter.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-7I-BoWSIoQ?si=PJfvVIzkmmUciNcP\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>    <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >episode highlights growing tensions<\/a> within the GOP over transparency around Epstein-related documents, which Trump has resisted despite earlier promises. Trump&rsquo;s Department of Justice announced in July that it had found no &ldquo;client list&rdquo; of Epstein&rsquo;s, contradicting a public statement by Attorney General Pam Bondi on Fox News in February that it was &ldquo;on my desk.&rdquo; Despite the backlash, Trump has stood by Bondi and urged his supporters to move on.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life,&rdquo; Trump&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/08\/22\/nx-s1-5508871\/trump-bondi-epstein-files-release-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said in July<\/a>&nbsp;of Epstein. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand what the interest or what the fascination is, I really don&rsquo;t. And the credible information&rsquo;s been given.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> went on to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/justice-department-told-trump-name-in-epstein-files-727a8038?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAgBZg9Q2TmGfx1X5iYE269KfakIsfpBiuq_mIne-CbjWyc7OYhFZa1vE7u3uWs%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68ae2db7&amp;gaa_sig=3kmOkYtyhmrdttdmz4bzUVbcVWnQwC8XuDgmj24L9gXi2wxjFjKi_BVK8kCBdRNNHIsC9xYZ28RphbeQd7aMOg%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> that Bondi informed Trump that his name was in the DOJ&rsquo;s Epstein files multiple times. Trump and Epstein were noted friends years earlier, and appearing in the documents was not necessarily a sign of Trump&rsquo;s wrongdoing. The White House dismissed the story as &ldquo;fake news.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3779211\/doj-sends-first-round-epstein-records-house-oversight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently delivered<\/a> a first batch of heavily redacted Epstein files to Congress, compelled by a bipartisan subpoena. Lawmakers, including Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) are pushing for full public release, although no clear timeline has been set.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/08\/22\/epstein-files-land-on-capitol-hill-00519851?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee issued this week a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3781420\/house-oversight-subpoenas-epstein-estate-interview-acosta-plea-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sweeping subpoena <\/a>to Epstein&rsquo;s estate, demanding everything from his will, flight logs, and nondisclosure agreements to the much-discussed &ldquo;birthday book&rdquo; allegedly compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell containing notes from associates. The estate has until Sept.&#8239;8 to comply, and former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta is scheduled for a transcribed interview before the committee on Sept.&#8239;19.<\/p>\n<p>Complicating matters, a federal judge in New York recently rejected efforts to unseal Epstein&rsquo;s grand jury transcripts, citing concerns over victim privacy and the marginal transparency benefit they would bring.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Jon Ossoff (D&#8209;GA), a top Democratic target in 2026, has hammered Trump on the issue. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheTNHoller\/status\/1944147024619659628\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">July speech<\/a> in Savannah, Ossoff said: &ldquo;He promised to release the Epstein files. Did anyone really think the sexual predator president, who used to party with Jeffrey Epstein, was going to release the Epstein files?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That clash has spilled into Georgia&rsquo;s Republican Senate primary, where Collins, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley are competing for Trump&rsquo;s endorsement and the chance to take on Ossoff.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Carter has sided with the president. In a<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/lyjWD_e8JyI?feature=shared\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> WJCL interview last month<\/a>, he said, &ldquo;I support the president, and I trust the president. He has called for the Attorney General to release all the files, and I think we should let this process play out.&nbsp;The president wants transparency and accountability, just like we want transparency and accountability. I think we&rsquo;re all on the same page here, so we shouldn&rsquo;t have any problem at all with this.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Dooley, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3489917\/football-coach-derek-dooley-launches-georgia-senate-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">entered the race<\/a> with the backing of GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, has so far avoided the topic, highlighting how the Epstein files are landing unevenly across the GOP primary field.<\/p>\n<p>Collins, meanwhile, had been quieter on Trump&rsquo;s role in the Epstein files since launching his Senate campaign. Before this hot-mic moment, though, he had been more vocal. In February, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepMikeCollins\/status\/1894161736271331675\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">he tweeted<\/a>: &ldquo;Release the Epstein files. Release the Las Vegas shooter files. Release the JFK files.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>He also marked the anniversary of Epstein&rsquo;s 2019 indictment in July 2024 by writing that &ldquo;the government continues to withhold his list of clients and visitors to his island.&rdquo; Just weeks ago, Collins&rsquo;s leadership PAC fundraised off the House Oversight Committee&rsquo;s subpoenas by telling donors: &ldquo;This is bigger than Russiagate. Congress is finally investigating the EPSTEIN FILES.&rdquo; However, in each instance, he stopped short of mentioning Trump&rsquo;s handling of the matter or criticizing the president.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3782002\/georgia-republicans-navigate-three-primaries-at-once-in-high-stakes-senate-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GEORGIA REPUBLICANS NAVIGATE THREE PRIMARIES AT ONCE IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE RACE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With Trump&rsquo;s endorsement looming as a decisive factor, the back-and-forth over the Epstein files has added another layer of pressure to a primary already shaping up as one of the most closely watched races of 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mike Collins says Trump is &#8216;in&#8217; Epstein files, urges release<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2479296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AP25177686709704.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[49076,3911,3634],"class_list":["post-2479295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-mike-collins","tag-republican","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AP25177686709704.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2479295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2479295"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2479295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2479299,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2479295\/revisions\/2479299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2479296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2479295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2479295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2479295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}