Federal Executive Branch Accountability

The White House would not confirm reports that President Trump called Palm Beach police about Jeffrey Epstein in 2006, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the call “may or may not have happened” but that, if accurate, it would corroborate Trump’s claim he cut ties with Epstein. Leavitt also declined to rule out granting Ghislaine Maxwell clemency in exchange for testimony and said she had not recently discussed the matter with the president, while publicly defending Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — who admitted meeting Epstein twice after his 2008 conviction — as “a very important member” of Trump’s team with the president’s full support.