A newly released FBI document recounts a former Palm Beach police chief telling agents that Donald Trump contacted authorities during the Epstein investigation and condemned both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump contacted Palm Beach police in 2006 to express concern about Jeffrey Epstein and urged investigators to focus on Ghislaine Maxwell, according to a newly unsealed FBI document released Monday by the Department of Justice.
The disclosure appears in an FBI interview summary, known as a 302, that was unsealed as part of ongoing federal court proceedings. The document reflects statements given to FBI agents in 2019 by a now-retired law enforcement official who served as Palm Beach police chief during the department’s investigation of Epstein.
According to CNBC, the former chief told agents that Trump personally called him after Epstein became the subject of a police probe. The document states that Trump thanked the department for stopping Epstein and said that people had long been aware of Epstein’s conduct. The former chief told investigators that Trump was “one of the very first people to call” once word spread that Epstein was under investigation.
The FBI summary states that Trump told police he had distanced himself from Epstein and said he left situations involving Epstein when teenagers were present. The document also recounts Trump telling the former chief that Epstein had been barred from Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Palm Beach.
While the interview subject’s name is redacted in the 302, the document identifies the individual as the person who served as Palm Beach’s police chief during the Epstein investigation. That description matches Michael Reiter, who later confirmed details of the call in an interview with the Miami Herald, which first reported on the unsealed document.
According to the FBI summary, Trump told Reiter that Epstein was “disgusting” and said that Maxwell was Epstein’s operative. The document quotes Trump as saying Maxwell was “evil” and advised investigators to focus on her role.
The unsealing of the document occurred hours after Maxwell’s attorney publicly called on Trump to grant her executive clemency, arguing she should be allowed to speak freely about her knowledge of Epstein’s activities. Earlier the same day, Maxwell repeatedly refused to testify before a House committee.
Trump has consistently denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes and has said he ended his association with Epstein years before Epstein’s later criminal cases. He has not been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims.
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