Ask Onix
FBI document alleges Trump called police chief about Epstein in 2006
A newly released FBI summary details a 2019 interview with Michael Reiter, former Palm Beach police chief, who claims Donald Trump phoned him in July 2006 after the department launched an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. According to the document, Trump told Reiter, "Thank goodness you're stopping him, everyone has known he's been doing this."
Trump's alleged remarks on Epstein and Maxwell
Reiter stated that Trump, during the same call, claimed he had expelled Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club and added that "people in New York knew he was disgusting." The former police chief also recounted Trump describing Ghislaine Maxwell as Epstein's "operative" and calling her "evil," urging police to "focus on her."
Additionally, Reiter told the FBI that Trump mentioned being around Epstein when he was with teenagers and said he "got the hell out of there."
Reiter's account and the 2006 investigation
In 2006, Palm Beach police were probing Epstein for the alleged sexual exploitation of underage girls. The case was later transferred to federal prosecutors, who in 2008 negotiated a controversial plea deal that shielded Epstein from more severe charges. Reiter said Trump was among the "very first people to call" when news of the investigation broke.
White House and Trump's response
Trump has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes, stating in 2019 that he had "no idea" about the financier's behavior and had not spoken to him in years. When asked about the alleged call, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday, "It may or may not have happened in 2006. I don't know the answer."
Leavitt added that Trump's stance remains unchanged: he expelled Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he was a "creep." She noted that if the call occurred, it would align with Trump's long-standing claims.
"We are not aware of any corroborating evidence that the president contacted law enforcement 20 years ago,"
Justice Department official
Trump and Epstein's history
Trump and Epstein socialized in the 1990s and appeared together in photographs. Trump has said their relationship ended around 2004 after Epstein attempted to recruit Mar-a-Lago employees. "When I heard about it, I told him, we don't want you taking our people," Trump stated in July. "He was fine and then not too long after that he did it again and I said 'outta here.'"
Maxwell's testimony and clemency request
The release of the FBI document follows Ghislaine Maxwell's virtual testimony before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Monday. Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence for her role in recruiting underage girls for Epstein, invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer questions. Her lawyer said she would "speak fully and honestly" if granted clemency by Trump.
Trump has stated he has not considered pardoning Maxwell.
