Karoline Leavitt defends Trump amid Epstein email leaks as vote to end shutdown nears

WASHINGTON, DC: As the government shutdown is about to end and amid the email leaks revealing the links between President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt came to the president's defense.

Leavitt dismissed the leaks as a politically motivated smear campaign amplified to derail the shutdown resolution vote.

Karoline Leavitt denounces Epstein allegations

After House Democrats released what they called “disturbing” new emails, Leavitt pushed back against new allegations linking Trump to Epstein. Her defence came just hours before Congress prepared to vote on a measure to end the nation’s longest government shutdown. 

Rejecting the allegations as politically motivated, Leavitt said, “The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.” 

“The ‘unnamed victim’ referenced in these emails is the late Virginia Giuffre, who repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and ‘couldn't have been friendlier’ to her in their limited interactions," she said.

She continued, “The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre."

She added, “These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again."

Shutdown vote and Epstein leaks

Leavitt’s comments came shortly before the House prepared to vote on a resolution to end the historic government shutdown. If approved, the measure would move to President Trump for his signature, allowing the government to reopen through January 30. 

With the shutdown vote and Epstein controversy unfolding simultaneously, both parties are ramping up their rhetoric ahead of what could be one of  Washington’s most heated weeks in recent months. 

Parties clash over newly surfaced Epstein mails

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a collection of damning emails on Wednesday, November 12, many sent directly from Epstein. One of them referred to Trump as the “dog that hasn’t barked,” and in another, Epstein apparently alleged that Trump spent hours with one of Epstein’s victims. 

In turn, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee on the same day released more than 20,000 pages of records from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, declaring, “You deserve the full truth.” 

They released the records just hours after Democrats unveiled emails in which Epstein reportedly mentioned President Trump. 

The sudden release followed accusations from the White House and GOP lawmakers that Democrats had selectively leaked material to slander the president.