Trump Confronts Reporters in Oval Office Amid Epstein Criticism

President Donald Trump engaged in a heated exchange with reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, just hours after facing criticism in the House over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. The confrontation occurred while Trump was seated beside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and it centered on the release of Epstein files and the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. According to eyewitnesses, Trump berated an ABC reporter who had asked him why he would not simply order the release of the Epstein files, given that he had expressed support for Congress voting to release them. Trump reportedly told the reporter that the Federal Communications Commission should consider stripping ABC's license because the network's coverage of him was "so fake" and "so wrong." Trump also claimed that ABC's reporting was biased against him, citing a statistic that the network had aired 97 negative stories about him. The exchange began when the ABC reporter asked Trump about his administration's handling of the Epstein files. Trump had previously opposed the release of the files, but he reversed his position after it became clear that the House had the votes to pass the legislation. The bill's fate in the Senate remains uncertain. Trump's comments about ABC's license were met with skepticism by media watchdog groups. "The idea that a news organization's license should be revoked because of its coverage of a particular politician is a chilling threat to press freedom," said a spokesperson for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. "This kind of rhetoric is precisely why the First Amendment exists – to protect the press from government interference." The exchange also raised questions about Trump's relationship with Saudi Arabia and the country's human rights record. Trump has been a strong supporter of Saudi Arabia, and he has been criticized for his close ties to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been accused of ordering Khashoggi's murder. The Washington Post columnist was killed in 2018 while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The current status of the Epstein files remains unclear. The House has voted to release the files, but the Senate has yet to take action. Trump's administration has not indicated whether it will release the files voluntarily, and it is unclear whether the Senate will pass legislation to compel their release. In related news, the Saudi government has faced international criticism for its human rights record, including its treatment of journalists and dissidents. The United Nations has called for an investigation into Khashoggi's murder, and many countries have imposed sanctions on Saudi officials accused of human rights abuses.