Republican Rep. Caught In Hot Mic Saying Trump Likely Is In The Epstein Files: 'I'm Sure'

Republican Rep. Mike Collins was reportedly caught in a hot mic saying President Donald Trump is likely in the Epstein files.

"I'm sure he's in there," he said in a video recorded at a GOP county meeting and uploaded to YouTube and first reported by The Washington Examiner. He was answering to a question from a constituent, who asked him if he believed Trump was in the files.

The lawmaker went on to back his claim saying it was because Trump himself "was the one that was telling the FBI about it."

"He's the one that kicked (Epstein) out of Mar-a-Lago and then called the FBI," Collins added, according to the recording.

Asked if he was going to vote to release the files, Collins said "we need to." "I have no problem releasing it, but you've got to go through the judicial," he said, noting that even though he is not a lawyer nor a judge, "it is more complicated than just saying 'boom, here's the files.'"

A spokesperson for Collins' campaign gave a statement to the Washington Examiner, saying his "words speak for themselves."

"President Trump was right about everything, kicked Epstein to the curb, and did nothing wrong. This 'story' is a massive nothingburger from never-Trump consultants using DNC talking points. They won't stop Mike's momentum delivering results for the America First agenda. Thank you for your attention to this matter." the statement added.

Different reports claimed Trump and top officials were aware of his presence in the files, with The New York Times noting in late July that officials in the office of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche were tasked with reviewing files related to the disgraced financier and abuser and highlighting Trump's presence.

The piece added that lawyers were set a "grueling pace" and urged to work as quickly as they could. Among their tasks was flagging mentions of Trump "and other celebrities, including former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew." Those references are in the Microsoft SharePoint, according to the NYT, which added that the review was largely completed by mid-April.

The report complements another from The Wall Street Journal, which noted a week earlier that Trump was informed in May that his named appeared in the files. Concretely, the WSJ detailed that Justice Department officials saw Trump's name several times while reviewing what Attorney General Pam Bondi has described as a "truckload" of documents.

Bondi then informed Trump of the findings in May. She added that many other high-profile figures were also named, and the outlet added that being mentioned is not a sign of wrongdoing.

Officials said the files had unverified hearsay about many people who had socialized with Epstein in the past, including Trump. They added that they were not planning on releasing additional files because they contained child pornography and victims' personal information.

Trump has taken heat for his way of addressing the latest developments, now dismissing the issue and calling it a hoax orchestrated by Democrats to score political points against him.