President Donald Trump’s White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt may have a difficult time explaining away her own words after Vice President JD Vance delivered a stunning admission that appears to undercut one of the administration’s biggest talking points about the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Just as a resurfaced video of Leavitt dismissing the controversy as a “classic Washington hoax” began making the rounds online again, Vance acknowledged during a marathon interview with Joe Rogan that the Trump administration “absolutely screwed up” how it handled the release of the files.
The timing could hardly be worse for Leavitt.
Vance Blows Up White House Messaging
“If you look at how this Epstein story sort of evolved over the past week, it’s a classic Washington hoax,” Leavitt claimed during a November interview with Miranda Devine that has since gone viral again.
She accused Democrats on the House Oversight Committee of manufacturing the controversy.
“You have Democrats on the Oversight Committee leaking redacted information to their favorite reporter at CNN, who then pops the story with that redacted information and does not reveal that the unredacted version is available,” the Trump spokeswoman said.
She added that the unredacted version showed “the so-called victim in this email is a woman who is unfortunately deceased, but prior to her death, said on numerous occasions that President Trump never did anything wrong.”
Leavitt also insisted Democrats and what she called the “fake news” were deliberately trying to manufacture another scandal involving Trump.
“It’s a purposeful leap to try to manufacture this news cycle to drag the president,” she said. “It’s a classic playbook of the Democrats using their friends and the fake news to spin up a narrative about the president.”
But Vance’s latest comments appear to complicate that defense.
Instead of blaming Democrats, the vice president acknowledged that the administration itself mishandled the situation.
“We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files,” Vance admitted. “But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No.”
The admission immediately raised questions about how Leavitt’s repeated claims that the controversy was simply a political hoax square with Vance’s acknowledgment that the White House itself badly fumbled the rollout.
Social Media Pounces
Leavitt’s comments drew fierce backlash online, with critics accusing her of attacking political opponents instead of addressing victims.
“She has no brain [o]f her own. She spews what he tells her too. Disgusting,” one person posted.
Others piled on.
“@PressSec has become extra stupid, insulting and tone deaf. Her kids really are going to hate her when they’re old enough to understand the kind of person she is,” one critic wrote.
Another added, “Such a disgusting traitor to women.”
X user Helena Glass asked, “Why would you lie and protect pedophile and rapists? How do you resolve those lies and still call yourself Christian? Who is your god?”
One person summed up the growing criticism with a pointed jab: “Wasn’t a ‘hoax’ until someone’s name appeared in it…”
Vance Points Finger at Bondi
The vice president’s interview landed just as Leavitt’s old remarks were resurfacing online, creating an uncomfortable contrast between a spokeswoman insisting the controversy was little more than a political hoax and the administration’s second-highest-ranking official conceding the White House itself “absolutely screwed up” how it handled one of its biggest campaign promises.
During the nearly three-hour interview, Vance also blamed former Attorney General Pam Bondi for overselling what the administration actually possessed, referencing her claim that an Epstein client list was sitting on her desk waiting to be released.
Rogan pressed Vance about what he called the administration’s “performative display” surrounding the files.
“I don’t know what the purpose of it was, but I know that the effect of it was to make people mistrust the entire effort,” Vance replied before insisting he did not believe anyone acted maliciously.
“I think she overstated what we have and didn’t have, and I think that she got roasted for it, publicly by a lot of people, including me,” he added.
Vance also acknowledged that millions of Epstein-related records remain sealed despite the administration’s repeated promises to release them, saying he believes there is more to the story but claiming he has seen no evidence linking Trump to wrongdoing involving minors.
