Internet gossip about Donald Trump‘s ties to Jeffrey Epstein has long been fired up, but this time the controversy comes from within his own party as opposed to from his political rivals. Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia is in the headlines after confidently declaring that Trump’s name is in the secret Epstein files while on a hot mic moment!

At a Muscogee County GOP meeting on August 13, Collins informally answered a question about Trump’s listing in the records by saying, “Yeah, I’m sure he’s in there.” The congressman explained that he thought Trump might have been included because he informed authorities about Epstein years ago, saying, “He’s the one that kicked [Epstein] out of Mar-a-Lago and then called the FBI.”

Collins was clear when asked if the files should be made open to everyone: “Oh, we need to release them. I have no problem releasing it, but you’ve got to go through the judicial.” He added that it can’t be as simple as “boom, here’s the files.”

The YouTube video has driven up recurrent gossip about Epstein’s network of powerful connections.

Collins’ observations also come as the House Oversight Committee, under the command of Republican Representative James Comer, is stepping up the investigation into Epstein’s estate. A leather-bound “birthday book” said to be made by Ghislaine Maxwell was one of the many documents Comer most recently subpoenaed the executors for. The Wall Street Journal says that messages from Epstein’s circle of friends have been put in the book, including a seemingly lewd note signed “Donald Trump.”

ALSO READ: DOJ Releases Ghislaine Maxwell Interview Tied to Epstein List, Donald Trump, and Bill Clinton

Donald Trump has filed suit against Rupert Murdoch’s Dow Jones & Company for defamation over the report, which he has categorically denied writing. Dow Jones defended its journalism and said it would fight the lawsuit.

Collins’ campaign has tried to downplay the comment, referring to the whole row as a “massive nothingburger,” regardless of his casual hot mic moment. Donald Trump “did nothing wrong,” according to a spokesperson, who also pointed out that Collins is still fully dedicated to the president’s America First agenda. 

Epstein’s passing away in prison in 2019 triggered an overwhelming number of conspiracy theories, making his case one of the biggest and most politically explosive scandals of the past few decades. According to the FBI and the Department of Justice,  there is no “client list,” but the calls for transparency are rising.

Besides the birthday book, Comer’s subpoena also asks for Jeffrey Epstein’s will, NDAs, and any other papers that could “reasonably” connect to s– t———– clients, as reported by the BBC. 

 The relationship between Donald Trump and Epstein is complicated; the two were close pals before reportedly falling apart in 2004, and Trump has said that he played a key role in telling authorities about Epstein’s crimes. After claiming the case is closed, he retracted his earlier support for the files’ release, which will only breed skepticism.

Epstein’s shadow over Washington isn’t going away anytime soon, especially since people like Collins are calling for full disclosure. This hot mic moment, if anything, is only fueling a fire that both political parties seem to be trying to put out.