Newly released Justice Department documents and FBI interview records reveal a stark contradiction in Donald Trump’s long-standing public denials about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.
For years, Trump has claimed he had “no idea” about Epstein’s abuse of underage girls. Yet records show that in 2006, he privately told Palm Beach police that “everyone” knew about Epstein’s activities and described Ghislaine Maxwell as evil.
Trump’s call to Palm Beach police chief
According to an FBI interview conducted in October 2019 with former Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter, Trump personally called him in July 2006, just as Epstein’s criminal sex charges became public. Reiter told agents that Trump said, “Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.”
Trump also warned Reiter about Epstein’s associate, saying Maxwell was Epstein’s “operative” and that “she is evil and to focus on her.”
Reiter further recounted that Trump said he had once been around Epstein when teenagers were present but “got the hell out of there.” Trump also claimed he had banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago.
Maxwell’s role
Ghislaine Maxwell, whom Trump described as “evil” in 2006, was later convicted of sex trafficking minors and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Her lawyer has recently urged Trump to grant her clemency, saying Maxwell would be “prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency.”
Maxwell has unsuccessfully appealed her conviction and continues to argue that her trial was unfair.
Epstein case background
Palm Beach police began investigating Epstein in 2005 after a report that a 14-year-old girl had been molested. Reiter’s department uncovered evidence of a pyramid-like scheme in which high school girls were recruited to provide “massages” that led to sexual assault.
Despite the evidence, State Attorney Barry Krischer declined to prosecute, prompting Reiter to involve the FBI. In 2007, federal prosecutors granted Epstein immunity in exchange for a state plea deal. He served 13 months in jail, mostly on work release. The Miami Herald’s Perversion of Justice investigation later revealed that nearly 40 victims had been identified, far more than the limited scope reflected in the plea deal.
Latest developments
The House Oversight Committee recently obtained documents from Epstein’s estate, including emails in which Epstein wrote, “Of course he knew about the girls, as he asked Ghislaine to stop.”
Newly released DOJ files confirm Trump’s 2006 call to Reiter, directly undermining his repeated public denials.
