Trump press secretary melts down after reporter suggests her 'receipts' don’t prove 'fraud'

12 February

During her Wednesday daily briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to get flustered after a journalist pointed out that her claims of "fraud" in the federal government didn't meet the general definition.

The New Republic noted that during the briefing, Leavitt waved around screenshots of what she called "receipts" proving that there were "contracts upon contracts" that involved widespread fraud, waste and abuse in federal agencies. Leavitt heaped praise on centabillionaire Elon Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency," or "DOGE" (which is not yet a Congressionally authorized federal agency) for terminating contracts they deemed as wasteful.

As evidence of supposed fraud, she referenced a $36,000 contract for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during former President Joe Biden's administration. She also identified a $3.4 million contract for "inclusive innovation" at the U.S. Department of Commerce's Patent and Trademark Office, and a $57,000 contract for work on climate change in Sri Lanka.

"That is against the president's policies and America first agenda," Leavitt said. "I can continue to go through these."

At one point, CBS News White House correspondent Jennifer Jacobs asked Leavitt: "Are all of those things you just mentioned fraud, or are they waste, or are they just contrary to the president's policies?"

Leavitt insisted that "all of these things are fraudulent, they are an abuse and they are a waste of the American taxpayer's dollar," though she ultimately confirmed the premise of Jacobs' question by insisting they were "contrary to the president's priorities and agenda."

"If anybody in here wants to argue the federal government is not fraudulent in some capacity, be my guest," Leavitt added.

Watch the videos of the exchange below, or by clicking this link.

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