White House says Democrats leaked Epstein emails to ‘smear’ Trump

The White House accuses Democrats of pushing a “fake narrative” after they released emails in which Jeffrey Epstein suggested that President Donald Trump was aware of the financier’s sexual abuse.

“The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says in a statement.

She adds that the release of the mails was a “hoax” designed to take the shine off an upcoming vote to end the longest-ever US government shutdown, which Trump has claimed as a victory for Republicans.

“These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments,” Leavitt says.

“Any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again.”