Palm Beach, Florida – A former Florida police chief has alleged that Donald Trump, in a 2006 phone call, indicated widespread knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s misconduct. The claim, detailed in a newly released FBI document, raises further questions about the extent of Trump’s awareness of Epstein’s activities prior to his 2008 plea deal and subsequent arrest in 2019.
The document, a record of a 2019 FBI interview, states that Trump contacted the then-Palm Beach police chief after the department initiated an investigation into Epstein. According to the FBI summary, Trump reportedly told the chief, “Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.” The name of the former police chief is redacted in the released document, but has been identified as Michael Reiter by the Miami Herald.
Reiter, who retired in 2009, confirmed to the Miami Herald that he was the individual who spoke with Trump. He further stated, according to the FBI interview, that Trump also mentioned having expelled Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club, stating that “people in New York knew he was disgusting.” Trump allegedly also characterized Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate, as his “operative” and warned the police chief to focus his attention on her, describing her as “evil.”
The allegations directly contrast with Trump’s repeated denials of any prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. When questioned by reporters in 2019, following Epstein’s arrest on sex trafficking charges, Trump stated, “No, I had no idea. I had no idea. I haven’t spoken to him in many, many years.”
The 2006 phone call reportedly occurred as the Palm Beach Police Department was beginning its investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving underage girls. Reiter’s detectives were investigating claims that Epstein had recruited girls as young as 14 to participate in massages that turned sexual. The case was later transferred to federal prosecutors, who reached a controversial non-prosecution agreement with Epstein in 2008.
The Justice Department, in a statement, said it was “not aware of any corroborating evidence that the president contacted law enforcement 20 years ago.” The White House deferred comment to the Justice Department. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, stated during a press briefing on Tuesday that the call “may or may not have” happened, adding that Trump had previously stated he removed Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after learning he was attempting to poach employees.
The release of this information comes as part of a larger tranche of documents related to the Epstein case, which have been gradually made public following legal challenges and court orders. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in facilitating Epstein’s abuse and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The timing of the revelation also coincides with Maxwell’s recent testimony before the House Oversight Committee. During the closed-door session, Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, refusing to answer questions. Her attorney indicated that Maxwell would be willing to cooperate fully if granted clemency by President Trump, a request Trump has denied considering.
Trump and Epstein had a well-documented social relationship in the 1990s, appearing together in numerous photographs. Trump has consistently maintained that he severed ties with Epstein around 2004, before the allegations of widespread abuse became public. However, the alleged 2006 phone call suggests a continued level of awareness, and potentially concern, regarding Epstein’s activities even after that purported break.
The FBI document provides a detailed account of Reiter’s recollection of the conversation, stating that Trump expressed relief that law enforcement was intervening and acknowledged that Epstein’s behavior was widely known. The implications of this alleged knowledge are likely to fuel further scrutiny of Trump’s past associations with Epstein and the circumstances surrounding the 2008 plea deal.
