White House faces scandals over Harvard, Epstein with cases in federal court

Trump White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, July 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Alex Brandon/AP)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump continued to deal with the scandals related to the late Jeffrey Epstein and the funding issues with Harvard University.

Both included pending disputes in federal court. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Monday that Trump wants transparency.

“The President has said if the DOJ and the FBI want to move forward with releasing any further credible evidence they should do so,” Leavitt said.

EPSTEIN SCANDAL

The public demand for Epstein’s list of clients continued online over reports of Trump’s ties to the sex offender. U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett called for caution.

“I do not want to release children’s names and innocent people,” said Burchett, R-TN.

On Friday, Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch in Miami federal court, and the Justice Department sought to unseal grand jury transcripts.

Dow Jones, the publisher of the WSJ, released a statement in response to the lawsuit: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”

U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles is presiding over the case against WSJ and Murdoch.

HARVARD SCANDAL

The university filed a lawsuit alleging that the Trump administration’s $2.6 billion in funding freezes and cuts impacting research were illegal.

“The Government will stop the practice of giving many Billions of Dollars to Harvard, much of which had been given without explanation,” Trump wrote on social media.

The American Association of University Professors also filed a lawsuit accusing the administration of engaging in a retaliation campaign over alleged antisemitism, which the Trump administration denied.

“It is a longtime commitment to Fairness in Funding Education,” Trump wrote on social media.

US District Judge Allison Burrough is presiding over the case Harvard filed.

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Ben Kennedy

Ben Kennedy

Ben Kennedy is an Emmy Award-winning Washington Bureau Chief for Local 10 News.

Andrea Torres

Andrea Torres

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.