Trump allegedly told police in mid-2000s that “everyone has known” about Epstein, newly released document says

Trump allegedly told police in mid-2000s that “everyone has known” about Epstein, newly released document says

A newly released US Justice Department document states that Donald Trump called the Palm Beach Police Department in the mid-2000s, shortly after Jeffrey Epstein became the subject of a criminal investigation, and told officers that “everyone has known” about Epstein’s misconduct.

The account appears in a written summary of a 2019 FBI interview with Michael Reiter, who was Palm Beach’s police chief at the time of the alleged call. According to the summary, Trump thanked investigators and said, “Thank goodness you’re stopping him,” adding that people in New York were aware Epstein was “disgusting.”

The document also says Trump described Ghislaine Maxwell as “Epstein’s operative,” calling her “evil” and urging investigators to focus on her. It further notes that Trump told the chief he had once been around Epstein when teenagers were present and “got the hell out of there”, CNN reported

How the White House is responding

The White House has not confirmed that the call occurred. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she could not verify whether the conversation took place but argued that, if it did, it supports Trump’s longstanding claim that he cut ties with Epstein in the early 2000s after concluding he was a “creep.”

A Justice Department official said there is no corroborating evidence that Trump contacted law enforcement at the time. Reiter’s private security firm said he is not participating in interviews.

Trump’s past account of his relationship with Epstein

Trump has repeatedly said his relationship with Epstein ended before the financier’s criminal case became public. He has described a falling-out connected to Epstein allegedly recruiting employees from his Mar-a-Lago club and has denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

While Trump has acknowledged that the two men were friends in the 1990s and moved in the same social circles in Palm Beach and New York, he has maintained that he severed ties years before Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea.

The reference to Maxwell in the newly released document contrasts with Trump’s remarks following her 2020 arrest, when he said he “wished her well.” Maxwell is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence for sex trafficking.

Why the document matters

The FBI interview summary does not independently verify that the call took place. However, it adds a new layer to the long-running scrutiny over what Trump may have known about Epstein’s conduct and when.

As more records tied to the Epstein investigation become public, the timeline of Trump’s interactions with him continues to draw attention, particularly as questions resurface during his second term in office.