Trump’s press secretary pick deleted posts praising Pence and Capitol cop on Jan. 6
Incoming White House press secretary ran on an election denial platform as a congressional candidate in 2022
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Karoline Leavitt, the longtime Donald Trump aide who will become his White House press secretary when his second term begins in January, removed a pair of social media posts in which she reposted praise of former Vice President Mike Pence for certifying the 2020 election.
The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine shows that Leavitt — who was then an aide to New York Representative Elise Stefanik — retweeted a January 7, 2021, tweet from Tim Scott spokesperson Ken Farnaso in which he called Pence “a steady hand through the chaos” at the U.S. Capitol the previous day, when a riotous mob of Trump supporters tried to prevent certification of the 2020 election.
“Love him or hate him, he kept the wheels of democracy moving & pushed forward to certify his own loss,” said Farnaso, who added that it had been “an honor” to serve Pence.
Three days later, Leavitt retweeted a post from a CNN producer, who shared a screengrab of now-famous video footage of Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman.
In the widely-viewed video, Goodman is seen goading a pack of rioters and leading them away from the unsecured Senate chamber door, giving senators and staff time to lock the doors as the mob approached the second floor of the Capitol.
Leavitt quoted the post and added a note of her own calling Goodman “a hero.”
Yet, according to CNN, Leavitt subsequently removed both posts as she was attempting to reinvent herself as a pro-Trump congressional candidate ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
As she ran for a New Hampshire congressional seat, Leavitt routinely denied that President Joe Biden had won the 2020 presidential election. In one interview, she said there was “absolutely no way” that Biden had “legitimately” earned 81 million votes against Trump two years earlier.
“I fundamentally do not believe that, and I will tell you the majority of voters on the Republican side do not believe that either. We feel as though this election was taken away from us,” she said.
Last month, Trump said Leavitt — who served as a press aide during the first Trump administration — would return to the White House as his press secretary after she worked on his 2024 campaign.
In a statement announcing her appointment, the president-elect said Levitt was “smart,” “tough” and “effective.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments