EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin doubled down on criticism of Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who implied the Trump administration official took money from the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. (Left: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Right: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
The dust-up originated because Crockett, during remarks on Tuesday, listed figures and entities she said had taken money from "somebody" with the name Jeffrey Epstein. Noting that she had her "team dig in very quickly," she ran through the following list: "Mitt Romney, the NRCC, Lee Zeldin, George Bush, WinRed, McCain-Palin, Rick Lazio."
Zeldin fired back on X, pointing out that the donation was not from the notorious Jeffrey Epstein, but from a completely different individual.
"Yes Crockett, a physician named Dr. Jeffrey Epstein (who is a totally different person than the other Jeffrey Epstein) donated to a prior campaign of mine," Zeldin wrote. "NO [clap emoji] FREAKIN [clap emoji] RELATION [clap emoji] YOU [clap emoji] GENIUS!!!"
Meghan McCain, who is the daughter of the late Republican senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain, also fired back at Crockett.
SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND BOTCHES EPSTEIN CLAIMS: ‘INSANE ACCUSATION’
Rep. Jasmine Crockett speaks during the "Won't Back Down" event at The Van Buren on Aug. 3, 2025, in Phoenix, Ariz. (John Medina/Getty Images for MoveOn)
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"Unlike Republicans, I at least don't go out and just tell lies," she later said.
"So, number one, I made sure that I was clear that it was a Jeffrey Epstein, but I never said that it was specifically that Jeffrey Epstein," Crockett said later during the interview.
Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/zeldin-mccain-hammer-crockett-epstein-donations-claim