A political advertisement from Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff has drawn attention for its claims regarding his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, and his connection to the Epstein files. The ad alleges that Collins sought to shield President Donald Trump and other influential individuals by voting against the release of these documents.
The ad specifically highlights a moment where Collins seemingly acknowledges Trump’s presence in the files, stating, "Yeah, I’m sure he’s in there." This statement was part of a leaked audio recording from August 2025, a period of intense speculation surrounding the contents of the files, which were officially released by the federal government starting in December 2025. These files stem from investigations into the activities of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The leaked audio captures a conversation during an Aug. 13, 2025, campaign stop in Muscogee County. The full exchange was later released by the media outlet Heartland Signal.
While the ad presents Collins’ comment as an admission of Trump’s implication in nefarious activities within the files, the full context of the conversation suggests a different interpretation. The ad omits Collins’ subsequent remarks that explain his reasoning. In the complete exchange, when asked if he thought Trump was in the files, Collins responded: "Yeah, I’m sure he’s in there. Because he was the one telling the FBI about it. He’s the one that kicked the guy out of Mar-a-Lago and then called the FBI. Yeah, yeah, he’s in there."
This explanation aligns with earlier reports from 2006, where the Miami Herald detailed how Trump informed a South Florida police chief that he was pleased about Epstein’s investigation and that his crimes were common knowledge. Furthermore, in the same conversation where the leaked audio was recorded, Collins expressed his desire for the Epstein files to be made public, saying, "Oh, we need to release them."
The Ossoff campaign did not immediately provide a comment when approached for a statement.
Analysis of the Claim:
The Ossoff advertisement asserts that Collins "admitted" Trump was in the Epstein files. While Collins did indeed speculate on Trump’s presence in the files, the advertisement omits his crucial clarification. His remarks indicate that he believed Trump would be included because he had previously brought Epstein’s criminal behavior to the attention of the FBI.
By excluding this context, the ad creates the impression that Collins believes Trump is implicated due to wrongdoing, rather than his prior actions in flagging Epstein’s conduct. This omission of significant details that would alter the perception of Collins’ statement leads to the classification of the ad’s claim as Mostly False.