He—the president, their leader, the martyr who had endured scandals and prosecution and an assassin’s bullet on their behalf—had repeatedly told them it was time to move on, and that alone should suffice. Why, he groused, would the White House add fuel to the fire, would it play into the media’s narrative?

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on July 17, defended the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is holding a press briefing Thursday afternoon, as the Trump administration faces pushback from its supporters over its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.