A former Florida police chief has claimed that Donald Trump told him in July 2006 that “everyone” knew what Jeffrey Epstein was doing, a revelation contained in FBI documents that sharply contradicts the president’s later public statements about his former friend.
Michael Reiter, who retired as Palm Beach police chief in 2009, confirmed to the Miami Herald that he was the person whose name was redacted from the FBI document. The former investigator recounted the conversation during an October 2019 FBI interview as part of investigations into Epstein’s sex crimes.
According to the FBI document, Trump called Reiter in July 2006 and said: “Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.” The timing of this call coincided with growing allegations against Epstein in Palm Beach, Florida, where local police had been interviewing numerous minor victims during 2005 and 2006.
Trump told Reiter that everyone knew what Epstein was doing, according to the FBI interview summary. The statement stands in stark contrast to Trump’s response in July 2019 when Epstein was arrested, when Trump said he had no idea about Epstein’s abuse of teenage girls.
The Department of Justice said it was not aware of corroborating evidence of the Trump call. The statement came in response to inquiries about the FBI document detailing Reiter’s account of the 2006 conversation.
Reiter’s FBI interview also revealed other details about the July 2006 conversation. Trump told Reiter he got the hell out when teenagers were present, according to the FBI document. The former president also described Ghislaine Maxwell as Epstein’s operative during that conversation. Trump called Maxwell evil and told Reiter to focus on her, according to the FBI interview summary.
Maxwell was later arrested in July 2020 and subsequently convicted as Epstein’s accomplice. The British socialite was found guilty of helping recruit, groom, and sexually abuse young girls.
The revelations about Trump’s 2006 statements create a complicated timeline of what the president knew and when. After Maxwell’s arrest in July 2020, Trump said he wished Maxwell well when asked about her case. He also told reporters at the time that he had met her numerous times over the years, especially since he lived in Palm Beach.
These comments differed significantly from what Reiter said Trump told him in 2006 about Maxwell. The characterization of Maxwell as evil in the 2006 conversation contrasts with Trump’s more measured public statements years later.
The Epstein case concluded with a controversial plea deal in 2008 that allowed the financier to evade federal prosecution. Despite investigations by local police, the FBI, and the U.S. attorney’s office in south Florida between 2005 and 2006, Epstein received a sweetheart deal. He admitted to state-level prostitution charges rather than facing federal prosecution.
Epstein died in jail in July 2019 while awaiting trial on new federal charges. His death came shortly after his arrest in New York on charges of sex trafficking minors. The arrest reignited public interest in his connections to powerful figures in business, politics, and entertainment.
Virginia Giuffre emerged as one of the most vocal Epstein survivors. She said Epstein abused and trafficked her to high-profile men, including Prince Andrew. The British royal has denied misconduct.
Trump’s relationship with Epstein became a political issue during the campaign trail, where he promised to release the Epstein files. The promise appealed to supporters who wanted transparency about the financier’s connections to the powerful and wealthy.
The president ultimately signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandates that the Department of Justice release all investigative documents related to the case. However, Trump has maintained that the issue is a hoax despite documents showing he and Epstein had a close relationship before their falling out.
Todd Blanche interviewed Maxwell for two days about the Epstein case. The interviews took place while Maxwell was in prison serving her sentence. Soon after these interviews in August, Maxwell was moved to a minimum security facility.
The move to minimum security sparked criticism from Democrats who raised concerns about potential witness tampering.
Maxwell pleaded the Fifth in a deposition before the House Oversight Committee. However, she later asked for clemency in exchange for testimony. The request for clemency came with an offer to provide testimony, though the specifics of what information she might provide remain unclear.
The release of the Epstein files has caused reverberations both in the United States and internationally. The Department of Justice released 3 million Epstein files. The documents shed new light on the extent of Epstein’s criminal network and his connections to prominent figures.
The House Oversight Committee released additional materials that further complicated Trump’s narrative about his relationship with Epstein. In response to those revelations, the White House maintained that Trump kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club decades ago for being inappropriate with female employees.
The FBI and U.S. attorney’s office in south Florida conducted extensive investigations into Epstein’s activities during 2005 and 2006. Local police in Palm Beach, under Reiter’s leadership, were instrumental in building the initial case against Epstein by interviewing numerous victims who were minors at the time of the alleged abuse.
The contrast between Trump’s 2006 statements to Reiter and his 2019 public denials raises questions about what the president knew about Epstein’s criminal activities and when he knew it. The FBI document suggests Trump was aware of widespread knowledge about Epstein’s behavior among social circles in Palm Beach and New York as early as 2006.
The case continues to generate public interest as more documents emerge from the Department of Justice’s release of investigative files. The ongoing revelations keep the spotlight on the powerful individuals who were part of Epstein’s social circle and what they may have known about his crimes against young women and girls.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2407jrn83o
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/10/trump-epstein-phone-call-florida-police
https://time.com/7377403/trump-epstein-maxwell-files/