Georgia Republican congressman Mike Collins, who is running for an open U.S. Senate seat next year, was recorded on a hot microphone saying he is “sure” Donald Trump’s name appears in the unpublished Jeffrey Epstein files, according to a report by the Daily Beast confirmed by multiple people who heard the exchange. Collins’ remark is notable because he voted earlier this year against a bipartisan House measure that would have compelled the Justice Department to release the trove of documents related to Epstein’s sex-trafficking network. In the same off-camera conversation, he reportedly urged that the files now be made public, signalling a reversal that caught party leaders by surprise. The episode amplifies pressure on the Justice Department, which has said it found no standalone “client list” and maintains that releasing unredacted materials could compromise ongoing investigations. Trump has denied wrongdoing and has called demands for the documents a “hoax.” Collins’ comment was echoed a day later by former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who told Al Jazeera in a yet-to-air interview that “he’s in the files,” referring to Trump. Mulvaney conceded he had not seen the records himself and provided no corroborating evidence. Neither Collins nor Mulvaney has produced documentation to substantiate their claims, and the White House, the Trump campaign and the Justice Department have all declined to comment on the specific allegation. Even so, the twin assertions by a sitting member of Congress and a former senior presidential aide have reignited debate over whether the government should make the Epstein materials public before the 2026 election cycle intensifies.