Donald Trump contacted Palm Beach’s police chief in 2006 to commend investigators for pursuing Jeffrey Epstein and specifically directed them to concentrate on Ghislaine Maxwell, calling her “evil,” according to newly disclosed FBI documents.
The revelation comes from a summary of an October 2019 interview with Michael Reiter, who led the Palm Beach Police Department from 2001 to 2009.
The document shows Trump was among the earliest individuals to reach out after news broke about the investigation into Epstein for sexual activities with underage girls.
“Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this,” Trump told Reiter during the conversation, according to the FBI summary.
The future president described an incident where he departed a location after observing Epstein in the presence of teenagers.
Trump informed Reiter he had removed Epstein from Mar-a-Lago and claimed people in New York were aware of Epstein’s disturbing behavior.
He characterized Maxwell as “Epstein’s operative” and urged the chief to concentrate investigative efforts on her.
The Miami Herald first reported the FBI document.
While Reiter’s identity appears redacted in the official summary, details within the file correspond with publicly available information about his involvement in the Epstein investigation.
Reiter’s initial encounter with Epstein occurred after the wealthy financier filed a report about an employee theft.
The police chief detailed Epstein’s significant financial contributions to the department during the investigation period.
According to the summary, Epstein provided $40,000 for equipment to examine security recordings.
He wrote a $90,000 check for fingerprinting equipment around the time the first victim came forward, though authorities never cashed it.
Epstein also gave substantial donations to a police scholarship program for children.
When Reiter inquired about Epstein’s background, he received information that the financier “supports law enforcement and is an important guy,” according to the document.
The Palm Beach Police Department started receiving complaints about Epstein in the early 2000s, possibly beginning in 2003.
Reiter stated his officers assembled an extensive case against Epstein, including charges related to sexual battery involving additional participants.
State prosecutors rejected the case, claiming the victims lacked credibility.
Reiter recalled prosecutors would display victims’ social media pages and challenge minor inconsistencies in the probable cause affidavit. “This case died at the state level,” he stated.
The FBI interview summary was part of millions of documents the Justice Department released in connection with the Epstein case.
Epstein entered a guilty plea to Florida charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008 under a contentious non-prosecution agreement.
That agreement resulted in Epstein serving 13 months in custody, with substantial time spent on work release.
Federal authorities arrested Epstein in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges, but he died in his Manhattan detention cell the following month while awaiting trial.
