A newly released FBI interview summary reveals that Donald Trump personally called Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter in 2006 to thank him for investigating Jeffrey Epstein, calling Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell “evil” and urging the department to “focus on her.”
According to the FBI’s 2019 interview with Reiter, the future president was “one of the very first people to call” after news broke that authorities were investigating Epstein’s abuse of underage girls. “Thank goodness you’re stopping him,” Trump reportedly said, noting that “everyone has known he’s been doing this.” Trump also claimed he “got the hell out of there” once after seeing teenagers around Epstein.
The FBI summary, first reported by the Miami Herald, states Trump told Reiter he had “thrown Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago” and insisted “people in New York knew Epstein was disgusting.” He specifically labeled Ghislaine Maxwell as “Epstein’s operative” and urged Reiter to pursue her as the case progressed.
Reiter, whose identity is redacted in the report but whose details match public records, recounted the early 2000s investigation into Epstein. The Palm Beach Police Department received multiple reports of sexual abuse, ultimately building a comprehensive case not only against Epstein but also his alleged co-conspirators.
Despite the strength of the investigation, Reiter said local prosecutors cast doubt on victims’ credibility, showing MySpace pages and “refuting minute details,” effectively shutting down the case at the state level. “This case died at the state level,” Reiter lamented.
Trump’s call came as Epstein, trying to curry favor with law enforcement, made significant donations to the Palm Beach department—$40,000 for a security video review machine and an uncashed $90,000 check for fingerprinting equipment. He also donated heavily to a police scholarship fund, according to the FBI record.
Trump’s early warnings about Maxwell come as she invoked the Fifth Amendment in a deposition before the House Oversight Committee this week, refusing to answer questions about her role in Epstein’s trafficking operation. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence and has reportedly signaled through her attorney that she would be willing to speak freely if granted clemency by President Trump.
However, the White House dismissed the possibility. Asked in July if he would consider clemency, Trump replied: “I wouldn’t consider it or not consider it. I don’t know anything about it. I will speak to the DOJ.”
The document adds new weight to Trump’s past comments distancing himself from Epstein and suggests he took an active stance against the financier years before federal prosecution finally materialized.
The post Trump Told Palm Beach Police Chief to “Focus on” Ghislaine Maxwell in 2006 Epstein Call, FBI File Reveals appeared first on Real News Now.
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