MSNBC host Jen Psaki came under immediate scrutiny after appearing to call President Donald Trump a “predator” during a segment of The Briefing, only to quickly walk back her statement.
While interviewing Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) about the release of previously unseen Jeffrey Epstein documents, Psaki said, “You’re talking about the other predators that are out there in addition to Trump,” before stopping herself.
She clarified, “Not that — I’m not saying he is. We don’t know all the details about that. I just mean, in addition to what we’ve learned about Epstein and others, there are other predators out there.”
The comment came as House Democrats on the Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of pages of material from Epstein’s personal files, including emails from 2011 referencing Trump.
One email from Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwell stated, “that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump,” and mentioned that Virginia Giuffre, a later-identified victim, “spent hours at my house with him.”
The White House quickly criticized the coverage, accusing Democrats and left-leaning media of attempting to smear the president, as the Conservative Brief reported.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the document release “a deliberate distraction from the Democrats’ shutdown failure” and emphasized that Giuffre had repeatedly stated Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing and “couldn’t have been friendlier” during their limited interactions.
Leavitt added that Trump had previously expelled Epstein from his club decades ago for inappropriate behavior toward female employees, including Giuffre, calling the latest reporting “another dishonest attempt by Democrats and their media allies to revive a debunked smear.”
During the segment, Rep. Garcia accused Trump of hiding information related to Epstein’s trafficking network and shielding men who “raped girls and have faced no consequences.”
He claimed both the Justice Department and House Republicans were complicit in withholding key details from the public.
Republicans responded by condemning both Garcia’s and Psaki’s remarks, accusing Democrats of “weaponizing a tragedy” for political gain.
House Oversight Republicans released a statement saying the document leaks were “carelessly selective” and intentionally omitted materials naming prominent Democratic figures connected to Epstein.
Psaki, who previously served as White House press secretary under former President Joe Biden, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
MSNBC also declined to issue a formal statement.
Conservative critics argued that the incident highlighted Psaki’s perceived bias and lack of restraint, citing it as an example of her tendency to amplify partisan narratives on her MSNBC platform.
The release of the documents has reignited debates over media double standards in political reporting. Emails between Epstein and biographer Michael Wolff suggested Wolff urged Epstein to target Trump in 2016 for “political cover,” which Republicans cited as evidence of media figures shaping anti-Trump narratives while claiming objectivity.
Democrats defended the Oversight Committee’s actions as being driven by transparency. Garcia said the documents underscored the need for the Department of Justice to release all Epstein-related files, insisting that the public deserves full disclosure of who was involved and the extent of their actions.
The House is expected to consider a discharge petition in the coming weeks, which could compel a floor vote to release the remaining Epstein documents. Newly sworn-in Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) is anticipated to provide the final signature needed to trigger the vote.
