Newly released FBI documents contain explosive allegations about Donald Trump’s early knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activities. According to a 2019 FBI interview summary, the former Palm Beach police chief—identified as Michael Reiter—claimed Trump personally called him in July 2006 to commend the department’s investigation into the financier.
The document reveals Trump allegedly told Reiter: “Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.” The then-businessman reportedly claimed he had already expelled Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club, describing him as “disgusting” and noting that “people in New York” were aware of his behavior.
Trump specifically identified Ghislaine Maxwell as Epstein’s “operative,” labeling her “evil” and urging investigators to focus on her. The FBI summary further alleges Trump told Reiter he had witnessed Epstein with teenagers and consequently “got the hell out of there.”
These revelations contradict Trump’s public statements. In 2019, when asked by reporters if he had suspicions about Epstein, Trump responded: “No, I had no idea. I hadn’t spoken to him in many, many years.” The White House has maintained that Trump severed ties with Epstein around 2004 after learning he attempted to “steal” Mar-a-Lago employees.
The Justice Department has stated it is “not aware of any corroborating evidence” regarding the alleged call. White Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt offered a tempered response, noting the call “may or may not have happened” but asserting that if it did, it would corroborate Trump’s longstanding claim that he expelled Epstein from his property.
The document release coincides with Ghislaine Maxwell’s recent virtual testimony before the US House Oversight Committee, where she repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment. Her lawyer suggested she would “speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” though Trump has stated he hasn’t considered pardoning her.