WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House on Thursday defended President Donald Trump after he called a female reporter "piggy" as she questioned him about the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying the president's remarks reflected his frankness and transparency.
In the exchange aboard Air Force One last week, which has since gone viral, Trump leaned toward the reporter, pointed his finger and said, "Quiet, piggy" as she pressed him about a recently released Epstein email in which the New York financier claimed Trump "knew about the girls."
Asked on Thursday about the incident, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said American voters re-elected Trump for his frankness and that reporters should appreciate his openness in answering questions.
"He calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information," Leavitt said during a White House briefing, offering no evidence of false information being reported. "But he also provides unprecedented access to the press and answers questions on a near-daily basis."
On Tuesday in the Oval Office, Trump called another female reporter "a terrible person"after she asked visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and asked Trump why he had not released the Epstein files.
Trump signed legislation on Wednesday ordering the Justice Department to release documents from its long-running investigation into Epstein after initially resisting having the files become public.
The Society of Professional Journalists issued a statement this week condemning Trump's disparaging language toward the reporters, noting his history of using demeaning language to discredit women. The White House declined to comment beyond Leavitt's earlier statement regarding Trump's "piggy" remark.
"Nobody expects presidents to be reporters' biggest fans," SPJ Executive Director Caroline Hendrie said. "But targeting women reporters with humiliating insults should not be tolerated."
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
