Thomas Massie publicly identified billionaire John Paulson in Epstein’s black book during a Newsmax interview. He said:
“Let me give you the name of one of the billionaires who’s running $2 million of ads in my district since I started this effort. His name is John Paulson. He’s a hedge fund manager and a major donor to the Republican Party, a major donor to the speaker of the House, a major donor to the president’s campaign, and he’s in Epstein’s black book.” https://www.newsweek.com/trump-jeffrey-epstein-little-black-book-thomas-massie-john-paulson-2125070
MSN confirmed that Paulson’s name appears in the black book and noted that Massie cited it as part of a broader push to release the full Epstein files. Paulson’s team responded:
“He never shared a meal or even a drink with Epstein. Never went to a party he hosted anywhere, never visited Epstein at any of his residences, was never on his plane and never on the island.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/major-trump-donor-found-in-epsteins-black-book-thomas-massie/ar-AA1LXu43
After Massie’s revelation, Speaker Mike Johnson claimed that Trump had acted as an FBI informant in the Epstein case. He said:
“He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down.” https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/trump-fbi-informant-epstein-speaker-johnson/
Trump “wasn’t calling Epstein a hoax… he was an FBI informant in an effort to take Epstein down,” Johnson added in a press briefing. https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/trump-an-fbi-informant-speaker-mike-johnson-says-president-helped-target-epstein-network-article-152691053
These claims have not been verified by the FBI or DOJ and emerged amid heightened scrutiny after Massie named Paulson and following survivor demands for full disclosure.
The episode illustrates a public clash between a sitting congressman and a top GOP donor, highlighting the tension over access to sealed Epstein files, redacted records, and political influence.
