Maria Farmer, an artist who first accused Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell of sexual assault in 1996, has told the New York Times that she urged law enforcement to investigate powerful figures in their circle, including Donald Trump. Farmer said she raised Trump's name during FBI interviews in 1996 and again in 2006, citing an unsettling encounter with him in Epstein's Manhattan office in 1995.
According to Farmer, she was summoned to Epstein's office late one night in 1995, wearing running shorts. Trump arrived in a suit and allegedly hovered over her, staring at her bare legs. Epstein then entered and told Trump, 'No, no. She's not here for you.' Farmer said she overheard Trump comment that he thought she was 16. She told the Times she had no further alarming interactions with Trump and never saw him engage in inappropriate conduct with others.
Farmer's account could shed light on what Trump-related information may appear in unreleased Epstein files, a matter that has caused division among Trump's supporters. The White House denied the account, with communications director Steven Cheung saying, 'The president was never in his office,' referring to Epstein, and that Trump 'kicked him out of his club for being a creep.'
Trump has faced renewed scrutiny over his ties to Epstein, especially after Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel backtracked on pledges to release Epstein investigative files. Trump has called for the release of grand jury testimony, insisting he has nothing to hide. Law enforcement has not accused Trump of any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
Epstein struck a plea deal in 2008 that allowed him to avoid federal charges, and he died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial for child sex-trafficking. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.
