Trump Office Scandal: Karoline Leavitt Faces New Crisis at the White House (Photos)

Just days after being dismissed from her role as White House Press Secretary—a position she held for only five days—Karoline Leavitt is facing new scrutiny due to the publication of photos showing her with President Donald Trump, which may have contained sensitive information.

Leavitt assumed her duties on Monday but was asked to resign quickly on Friday, following a stumbling performance during her first press conference and reports that she had not passed the bar exam, despite describing herself as a lawyer.

On the day of her dismissal, Leavitt posted a farewell message on social media filled with praise for Donald Trump, accompanied by a photo showing her standing next to the President while he sat at his desk in the Oval Office.

A map clearly blurred out appeared on the desk. In a second post published on Saturday, showing Leavitt and her family with the President, the map appeared to have been digitally removed from the image, according to the "Daily Mail".

The first photo raised questions and speculation, while the second intensified the controversy; people wondered why the map would be digitally removed if it were insignificant.

Observers noted that the landmass visible on the map appears similar to East Potomac Park in Washington, a site included in Trump's plans to redevelop federal landmarks and properties in the US capital.

In late June, Trump announced via the Truth Social platform his intention to renovate the golf course in that park, describing it as "dilapidated, worn-out, extremely dangerous, and outdated." However, this plan later faced a lawsuit filed by the Committee of 100 on the Federal City.

Despite the administration's confirmation that there is no final design for the golf course, critics considered the map on Trump's desk evidence to the contrary.

The group Save East Po—which opposes the renovation plan—reposted Leavitt's post on Friday, commenting: "For the record, for those who care: that blurred map on the President's desk is of East Potomac Park."

In a subsequent post featuring the second photo published by Leavitt—after the map was removed—the group wrote: "Nothing expresses 'we don't have any plan' more clearly than a photo of a map (related to the plan) on the President's desk, followed by a second photo where that map has been digitally removed."

Alex Rose, founder of the Save East Potomac campaign, told the Washington Post that the details in the unclear map resemble previously circulated illustrations of the park restoration plans.

After more than 400 trees were cut down in East Potomac Park, Judge Ana Reyes, a U.S. District Court judge, issued an order earlier this week preventing the National Park Service from cutting down more trees.

Lawyers for the Trump administration argued that tree removal was not part of the President's initiative to renovate the golf course, but rather part of a plan established in 2019 to return the course to its original design.

Judge Reyes, who is hearing the lawsuit against the renovation work, expressed skepticism about the government's argument in a judicial memo issued on Tuesday.

Opponents of the East Potomac Park renovation project see the unclear map on the President's desk as an indication of his determination to proceed with renovation plans, despite the ongoing legal challenge.

Stephen Cheung, White House Communications Director, mocked these concerns in a statement claiming that the Daily Mail displays "an excessive obsession with an innocent photo," and suffers from what he called "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

Similarly, Karoline Leavitt told the same newspaper: "It is not surprising that the Daily Mail turns an extremely nice photo into controversial material."

Critics pointed to Trump's record of imposing major changes in Washington D.C. without oversight, expressing concern that this park project is merely the latest example.

The President demolished the White House East Wing to build a ballroom without Congressional approval, pushed forward plans to create a 250-foot arch on Columbia Island without final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, and added his name to the Kennedy Center.

All these initiatives faced legal challenges. In this regard, the Supreme Court ruled to allow the construction of the White House ballroom to proceed temporarily, while the fate of the other two plans remains pending at this time.