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Donald Trump only interacted with Jeffrey Epstein 'cause he was informing on him to the FBI ... so says the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Speaker Mike Johnson defended the President's association with the convicted sex offender when speaking to reporters Friday ... explaining the President isn't calling Epstein's crimes a hoax -- he's saying Democrats have blown his involvement with the guy out of proportion.

Johnson then said, "When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down.” Getty

Remember, Trump has maintained he kicked Epstein out of the private club because he was hiring workers away from Mar-a-Lago ... saying he gave Epstein a warning before tossing him permanently in the 2000s.

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