President Donald Trump reportedly told a police chief in 2006 that “everyone has known he’s been doing this” about Jeffrey Epstein‘s criminal activities. This directly contradicts his public statements years later. The detail comes from an October 2019 FBI interview with Michael Reiter, the former Palm Beach police chief who led the initial Epstein investigation.
According to the Miami Herald, Trump called Reiter in July 2006 as Epstein’s sex crime charges became public. Reiter said Trump told him Epstein’s activities with young women were widely known in New York and Palm Beach. Trump specifically told Reiter, “Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.”
This contradicts what Trump told reporters in July 2019 when asked about Epstein’s crimes. At that time, he said, “No, I had no idea. I had no idea.” He claimed complete ignorance in 2019 after apparently praising the police chief’s efforts to stop Epstein 13 years earlier.
The president’s 2006 conversation reveals knowledge he later denied having
Reiter’s interview included details about Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate. Reiter told FBI agents that Trump identified Maxwell as Epstein’s “operative.” Trump reportedly urged Reiter to focus on her, calling her “evil.” Trump also claimed he had been around Epstein once when teenagers were present and quickly “got the hell out of there.”
Trump told Reiter that he threw Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club. While Trump has previously said he banned Epstein for trying to steal his employees, he has denied knowledge of the crimes themselves. Other high-profile figures have also faced scrutiny over their connections to the financier.
This information comes as Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, was recently called to appear before the House Oversight Committee. Maxwell, 64, refused to testify, using her Fifth Amendment right. Her lawyer noted she is “prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.”
The Palm Beach Police Department first received a report in 2003 but found no evidence at the time. The case reopened in March 2005 after a woman reported her 14-year-old stepdaughter had been molested. Police observed children with braces and backpacks coming from school. They built a strong case, but state attorney Barry Krischer refused to arrest Epstein in 2006.
Reiter then took the case to the FBI, which turned it over to the Miami U.S. Attorney’s office in early 2007. When prosecutors failed to arrest Epstein, Reiter met with then-Miami U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta. Acosta reportedly said defense attorneys had frustrated prosecutors and there was “a lot of interest from higher up.”
Epstein received federal immunity in exchange for pleading guilty to two solicitation counts. He served only 13 months, mostly on work release. Reiter said, “It was very disappointing that the system failed in this case.” Recent revelations have also exposed how other billionaires sought Epstein’s social circle.
Published: Feb 11, 2026 08:35 am