A former police chief from Florida has said that Donald Trump called him in 2006 and remarked that âeveryoneâ was aware of Jeffrey Epsteinâs behavior. This claim appears in an FBI interview summary released by the US Justice Departmen
The document records a 2019 FBI interview with the thenâPalm Beach police chief. According to the summary, the officer said Trump contacted him after local authorities began investigating Epstein. During that call, Trump allegedly said something along the lines of, âThank goodness youâre stopping him â everyone has known heâs been doing this.â
Although the officerâs name is blacked out in the document, it identifies him as the Palm Beach police chief during the Epstein investigation. At that time, the chief was Michael Reiter, who later told the Miami Herald that he was the one who received the call from Trump.
Trump has consistently denied any involvement in or knowledge of Epsteinâs criminal activities. However, the alleged phone call could raise fresh questions about what he may have known and at what point.
Back in 2019, when Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges, Trump was asked by reporters whether he ever suspected anything about the financier. Trump responded that he had âno ideaâ and emphasized that he had not spoken to Epstein for many years.
The FBI interview summary also notes that Reiter claimed Trump told him during the 2006 call that Epstein had been banned from Mar-a-Lago. Trump reportedly said that people in New York were already aware that Epstein was âdisgusting.â Reiter further alleged that Trump described Ghislaine Maxwell as Epsteinâs âoperative,â calling her âevilâ and urging authorities to focus on her.
Maxwell was later convicted in 2021 for helping Epstein recruit underage girls.
According to the FBI document, Reiter also said Trump mentioned being present when Epstein was around teenage girls but claimed he âgot the hell out of there.â The summary adds that Trump was reportedly one of the first people to contact local police once he learned about the investigation.
In 2006, Palm Beach police were looking into allegations that Epstein had sexually exploited underage girls. The case was eventually handed over to federal prosecutors. In 2008, Epstein reached a controversial plea deal that included a non-prosecution agreement, shielding him from more serious federal charges at the time.
In response to the newly released document, a Justice Department official told the BBC that they were not aware of any evidence confirming that Trump contacted law enforcement two decades ago.
When asked about the alleged call during a White House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she was unsure whether the call took place. However, she reiterated that Trump has long maintained he expelled Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he considered him a âcreep.â She added that if the call did occur, it would align with what Trump has said publicly for years.
The BBC has reached out to Reiter for further comment.
Trump and Epstein were seen together socially in the 1990s and were photographed at various events. Still, Trump and the White House have repeatedly stated that he was unaware of Epsteinâs crimes before cutting ties with him around 2004, well before Epsteinâs first arrest.
Trump has previously explained that their relationship ended after he believed Epstein tried to recruit staff members from Mar-a-Lago. In July, Trump said he warned Epstein not to hire his employees and eventually told him to leave after the issue continued.
The renewed attention around the alleged 2006 call comes shortly after Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, testified virtually before the US House Oversight Committee. During the closed-door session, Maxwell reportedly declined to answer questions and invoked her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, according to Committee chairman James Comer.
Maxwellâs attorney later stated that she would be willing to speak openly if President Trump granted her clemency. Trump, however, has said he has not considered pardoning her.
