Georgia Senate candidate and Republican Representative Mike Collins said, after being challenged by a constituent in a recording of a local county Republican Party meeting, that he believed President Donald Trump was mentioned in the Epstein files and that he supported the release of these documents.
During the conversation, recorded and posted on YouTube, an attendee at a Muscogee County Republican Party meeting on August 13 asked Collins if Trump’s name was in the files. Collins responded that he believed the president “was present,” but only because Trump “was the one who informed the FBI.” He had previously banned Jeffrey Epstein from Mar-a-Lago.
The congressman, who holds a senior position in the transportation sector, said he supported the release of the documents. “We have to release them. I have no problem with that,” he added, warning that legal complications involving judges and grand jury documents have slowed the process.
A spokesperson for Collins’ campaign defended the remarks, saying: “Mike’s comments speak for themselves: President Trump was right on all counts, he fired Epstein, and he did nothing wrong. This ‘story’ is just hot air from advisers unconnected to Trump, who are using the talking points of the Democratic National Committee. This will not prevent Mike from getting results for his ‘America First’ agenda. Thank you for your attention.”
This episode highlights growing tensions within the Republican Party over the transparency of Epstein-related documents, a transparency Trump has opposed despite previous promises. The Justice Department announced in July that it had found no Epstein “client list,” contradicting a public statement by Attorney General Pam Bondi on Fox News in February, in which she claimed the list was “on my desk.” Despite the backlash, Trump supported Bondi and urged his supporters to move forward.
“He’s been dead for a long time. He never played a role in his life,” Trump said of Epstein in July. “I don’t understand the interest or fascination with him, I really don’t. And credible information has been presented.”
The Wall Street Journal added that Bondi told Trump that her name appeared repeatedly in the Justice Department’s Epstein files. Trump and Epstein were known friends for years, and their appearance in the documents did not necessarily indicate wrongdoing on Trump’s part. The White House denied the report, calling it “fake news.”
The U.S. Department of Justice recently released the first batch of Epstein files, largely redacted, to Congress following a bipartisan subpoena. Lawmakers, including Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), are calling for their full release, though no specific timeline has been set.
In addition, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee issued a sweeping subpoena this week against Epstein’s estate, demanding the release of all his documents: his will, travel logs, nondisclosure agreements, as well as the controversial “birthday journal” allegedly written by Ghislaine Maxwell, which contains notes from his associates. The estate has until September 8 to comply with the order, and former U.S. Attorney General Alexander Acosta is scheduled to give a televised interview before the committee on September 19.
To further complicate matters, a federal judge in New York recently rejected attempts to release Epstein grand jury transcripts, citing concerns about victim privacy and the fringe benefits of transparency.
Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA), a leading Democratic presidential candidate in 2026, has been highly critical of Trump on this issue. During a July speech in Savannah, Ossoff said, “Trump promised to release the Epstein files. Who would have thought that a sexual predator president, who regularly accompanied Jeffrey Epstein to his parties, would release those files?”
This dispute has spilled over into the Republican Senate primaries in Georgia, where Collins, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley are vying for Trump’s support and the chance to challenge Ossoff.
Carter has sided with the president. In an interview with WJCL last month, he said, “I support the president and I trust him. He has asked the attorney general to release all the files, and I think we should let that process play out. The president demands transparency and accountability, and so do we. I think we all agree on that, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Dooley, who entered the race with the support of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, has so far avoided addressing the issue, highlighting the uneven distribution of the Epstein files among the Republican primary candidates.
For his part, Collins has remained more discreet about Trump’s role in the Epstein files since the beginning of his Senate campaign. Before this pivotal moment, he had been more vocal. In February, he tweeted: “Release the Epstein files. Release the Las Vegas shooter files. Release the JFK files.”
He also commemorated Epstein’s 2019 indictment in July 2024, writing that “the government is still withholding his client list and island visitors.” Just weeks earlier, Collins’ political action committee had raised money through subpoenas from the House Oversight Committee, telling donors: “This is bigger than the Russia scandal. Congress is finally investigating the Epstein files.” Yet each time, he refrained from mentioning Trump’s handling of the case or criticizing the president.
As Trump’s approval becomes an increasingly important deciding factor, the Epstein controversy has added an extra layer of pressure to a primary that is already shaping up to be one of the most closely watched races of 2026.