White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has stepped in it again as rabid MAGA voters erupt in anger over the continuing fallout from the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, accusing the administration of trying to clean up the mess by lying about it.
Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, had ties to some of the most powerful people in the world, including presidents, billionaires and even royalty. He was arrested in 2019 on charges related to sex trafficking minors and allegedly had a “client list” with the names of those who used his services. He died by suicide in a Manhattan jail not long after his arrest, according to authorities.
That was six years ago, and since then, conspiracy theories about a government cover-up have flourished and expanded. President Donald Trump’s most loyal and vocal supporters have promoted the speculation, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance even stoking the conjecture during the 2024 campaign. At one point, Trump proclaimed he was “inclined” to declassify the entire file.
Earlier this year, Trump officials invited social media influencers to the White House for what they said was the first release of new information on the Epstein case. The influencers received binders with the title “The Epstein Files: Phase 1.”
Embarrassingly, there was nothing new in the files, even though Attorney General Pam Bondi had claimed in February that she had Epstein’s “client list” and it was “sitting on my desk right now.”
Then on Sunday, Axios broke the news about the FBI sending the Justice Department a memo saying that after an “exhaustive review,” there was “no credible evidence” that Epstein “blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
As expected, the MAGA world erupted into an infuriated frenzy that has been boiling over all week.
Then Leavitt today smugly bragged about a report in the conservative-leaning Washington Examiner that said new voters find Trump trustworthy, but needless to say, her tone-deaf boast totally backfired on her.
“Trump seen as a rare promise keeper, especially with new voters,” Leavitt posted on X with a link to the story.
And the storm broke.
Another asked, “Is this a joke?”
And the hits just kept coming.
And Luke Slywalker posted, “He’s sending more money to Ukraine and failing to provide justice to Epstein’s victims, while continuing to simp for war criminal Netanyahu. This is not what I voted for.”
And Tom’s Boy summed it up: “press secretary = Minister of Propaganda”
Trump’s former bromance buddy, tech billionaire Elon Musk, has been insisting for weeks that Trump’s name is on Epstein’s “client list” and that’s why the administration will never release it.
“How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?” Musk asked on X on Tuesday.
The post followed a mini tantrum Trump threw during a cabinet meeting Tuesday when a reporter asked Bondi about the FBI memo. It seems all that stoking of conspiracy theories is coming back to haunt the President, and he’s not liking it.
“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” Trump responded. “This guy’s been talked about for years… Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable. Do you want to waste the time?”
