Former Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter has claimed that Donald Trump told him in a 2006 phone call that 'everyone has known he’s been doing this' regarding Jeffrey Epstein. The account, contained in the justice department's release of 3 million Epstein files, contrasts with Trump's public statements after Epstein's 2019 arrest, when he said 'I had no idea' about the abuse.
Reiter, who retired in 2009, confirmed to the Miami Herald on Monday that he was the redacted source in the document. During an October 2019 FBI interview, he recounted that Trump telephoned him in July 2006 and remarked: 'Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.' At the time, local police were interviewing numerous minor Epstein victims.
The White House deferred comment to the justice department, which said it was 'not aware of any corroborating evidence that the president contacted law enforcement 20 years ago.' The case against Epstein concluded with a controversial 2008 plea deal that allowed him to avoid federal prosecution.
Reiter also told the FBI that Trump described Ghislaine Maxwell as Epstein's 'operative' and said 'she is evil and to focus on her.' Trump claimed he was once around Epstein when teenagers were present and 'got the hell out of there.' These statements conflict with Trump's later comments wishing Maxwell well after her 2020 arrest.
Trump has said he booted Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he 'stole' staffers, including Virginia Giuffre, who alleged Epstein trafficked her to high-profile men. Trump's relationship with Epstein has been a political issue; he promised to release Epstein files on the campaign trail but later waffled, drawing ire from supporters. He ultimately signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act but has maintained the issue is a hoax.
