T he White House on Thursday attempted to close the door on President Donald Trump’s role in the Jeffrey Epstein saga, rejecting calls from within his own political base for a special prosecutor and casting his recent comments about the “Epstein Hoax” as a swipe at Democrats, not a dismissal of Epstein’s crimes.

Trump previously had a relationship with the late disgraced financier, who died in a jail cell in 2019 as he awaited a trial on sex trafficking charges.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday President Donald Trump will not recommend a special counsel in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, even as the administration maintains it has been fully “transparent” in its handling of the matter.