A former Florida police chief told the FBI in 2019 that Donald Trump called him in 2006 to discuss Jeffrey Epstein, according to recently released justice department documents. The officer, identified as Michael Reiter, said Trump told him: “Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.”
Reiter said Trump claimed he had thrown Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club and that “people in New York knew he was disgusting.” The former president allegedly described Ghislaine Maxwell as Epstein’s “operative” and warned the officer to focus on her.
Trump and Epstein socialised in the 1990s, but Trump has consistently denied knowing about Epstein’s crimes, stating he cut ties with him around 2004.
Trump one of first to call law enforcement
According to the FBI interview summary, Trump contacted Florida police soon after they began investigating Epstein for allegedly exploiting underage girls. The case later moved to federal authorities, who in 2008 agreed to a controversial plea deal that limited Epstein’s charges.
Reiter told the FBI that Trump claimed he was present when Epstein socialised with teenagers and said he “got the hell out of there.”
White House response
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that the call “may or may not have happened in 2006” but emphasised that Trump had previously removed Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he was “a creep.” A justice department official added they had no corroborating evidence confirming the call.
Recent developments
The allegations surfaced shortly after Ghislaine Maxwell, now serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting teenage girls for Epstein, testified virtually before the US House Oversight Committee. She invoked the Fifth Amendment during the closed-door deposition. Maxwell’s lawyer stated she was prepared to speak fully if granted clemency by Trump, who has said he has not considered pardoning her.
Also read: Ghislaine Maxwell invokes Fifth Amendment in testimony
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