Washington, July 17 -- US President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed calls for appointing a special counsel to investigate matters related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, calling the controversy a "hoax" and distancing himself from ongoing demands for transparency, The Hill reported.

As Trump was leaving the White House after a speech, a CNN reporter asked whether he would consider appointing a special counsel to investigate the Epstein case. "I have nothing to do with it," Trump replied, before walking away, according to The Hill.

The calls for deeper scrutiny into the case have come from several of Trump's own supporters, including far-right activist Laura Loomer and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who have expressed frustra...