• A newly released FBI interview summary shows former Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter told agents Trump called him in 2006 to praise the Epstein investigation
• Trump reportedly told the police chief that Ghislaine Maxwell was “evil” and Epstein’s “operative,” and that he personally witnessed teenagers around Epstein
• The account appears to conflict with Trump’s 2019 statement that he had “no idea” about Epstein’s crimes, though supporters argue the two claims are not contradictory

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — A newly released FBI document has revealed that President Donald Trump called the Palm Beach, Florida, police chief in 2006 to express relief about the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, telling the officer “thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.” The document, part of millions of Epstein-related files being released by the Department of Justice, has thrust the Trump administration into a complicated position as it works to manage political fallout from the ongoing disclosures.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the document Tuesday during a press briefing but declined to confirm whether the phone call actually took place, calling it something “that may or may not have happened in 2006.”

“What I’m telling you is that what President Trump has always said is that he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club because Jeffrey Epstein was a creep. And that remains true. And this call, if it did happen, corroborates exactly what President Trump has said from the beginning.”

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— Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary

Trump Epstein FBI Document Shows Detailed 2006 Account

The document in question is an FBI 302 — a standard interview summary — from a 2019 conversation between FBI agents and former Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter. Reiter’s name was redacted from the document, but the Miami Herald first identified him through details in the report, and Reiter subsequently confirmed to the newspaper that he was interviewed by the FBI in 2019 and that Trump called him in July 2006.

According to the FBI summary, Trump told Reiter during that call that “people in New York knew Epstein was disgusting” and that Ghislaine Maxwell was Epstein’s “operative,” urging the police chief to “focus on her” and calling her “evil.” The document also states that Trump said he “was around Epstein once when teenagers were present and Trump got the hell out of there” and that he “threw Epstein out” of his Mar-a-Lago club.

Reiter served as Palm Beach police chief from 2001 to 2009 and was a central figure in the first law enforcement investigation of Epstein in Florida. The FBI summary notes that Trump was “one of the very first people to call when people found out that they were investigating Epstein.”

“Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE THE DUPREE REPORT

— Donald Trump to Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter in 2006, according to Reiter’s 2019 FBI interview

A DOJ official told TIME magazine that the department was not aware of any corroborating evidence that Trump contacted law enforcement 20 years ago, though Reiter himself has confirmed the call occurred.

Trump Epstein FBI Document Raises Questions About Prior Statements

The document has drawn scrutiny because of its apparent tension with Trump’s past public statements about Epstein’s crimes. In July 2019, when reporters in the Oval Office asked whether he had any suspicions that Epstein was molesting underage girls, Trump responded: “No, I had no idea. I had no idea.”

If the 2006 call occurred as Reiter described, Trump told a police chief that “everyone has known” about Epstein’s behavior 13 years before claiming he had “no idea” about it. CNN’s analysis noted this as part of a pattern in which the administration’s claims about the Epstein files “have later been undercut” by the documents themselves.

Trump supporters have pushed back on this framing. Conservative commentators argue there is a meaningful distinction between knowing Epstein was generally “disgusting” — as many in Palm Beach social circles apparently did — and having specific knowledge of the felony-level sex trafficking that emerged later. Under this reading, Trump’s 2019 denial referred to the detailed criminal allegations rather than general awareness of troubling behavior.

“And I’m sure many of you, when you read that alleged FBI report, probably thought to yourself, ‘Wow, this really cracks our narrative that we’ve been trying to push about this president for many years.’ So, we’re moving on from that.”

— Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary

Critics, however, note that the FBI document describes Trump’s language as specific and pointed — calling Maxwell “evil” and an “operative,” saying “everyone has known he’s been doing this,” and describing a scene involving teenagers from which he fled. That level of detail, they argue, is difficult to reconcile with a blanket claim of having “no idea.”

In a separate development, emails released by House Democrats last year showed that Epstein wrote to author Michael Wolff in April 2019 claiming Trump “knew about the girls.” The meaning of that phrase remains unclear, and Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Lutnick Faces Bipartisan Calls to Resign Over Epstein Ties

The Trump-Epstein FBI document surfaced on the same day Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee and acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2012 — seven years after he previously claimed to have cut off all contact with the convicted sex offender.

“I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies. And we had lunch on the island, that is true, for an hour. And we left.”

— Howard Lutnick, Commerce Secretary, testifying before the Senate

The admission contradicted Lutnick’s claim on the “Pod Force One” podcast last October, when he said he vowed never to “be in a room” with Epstein after a 2005 encounter. Documents released by the DOJ show Lutnick and Epstein were in contact as recently as 2018, and a 2015 email showed Epstein’s assistant forwarding him an invitation from Lutnick to a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton at his firm.

Bipartisan calls for Lutnick’s resignation have intensified. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky told CNN that “Lutnick went to the island and was in business deals with Epstein, long after Lutnick says he parted ways.” Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California said the revelations demanded accountability: “This is bringing down the British government. It may bring down the monarchy. What are we doing here in the US to stand up to the Epstein class?”

Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), the first member of the Senate Commerce Committee to call for Lutnick’s resignation, said she was “appalled” by the revelations.

“He clearly misled the American people when he claimed he cut off all contact with Epstein in 2005. I believe that to protect the trust of the American people and to uphold the honor of his office, Howard Lutnick must immediately resign.”

— Jacky Rosen, U.S. Senator (D-NV)

Leavitt said Trump “fully supports” Lutnick and called him a “very important member” of the president’s team, adding that the matter is “not a priority” for the administration.

Maxwell Invokes Fifth Amendment, Seeks Trump Clemency

The document disclosures came one day after Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a virtual deposition before the House Oversight Committee, refusing to answer any questions about Epstein’s crimes or potential co-conspirators.

Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, told lawmakers that his client was “prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” adding that “both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing” and that “Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why.”

House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) called Maxwell’s refusal “obviously very disappointing” and explicitly discouraged the president from granting any form of clemency.

“It was the intent, in my opinion, when we left that meeting in a bipartisan manner that we would not grant immunity. Now, what she said today, she’s asked for clemency from the president. So I personally don’t think she should be granted any type of immunity or clemency.”

— James Comer, House Oversight Committee Chairman (R-KY)

Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico was more pointed: “She is telling Donald Trump through her deposition that she is trying to buy her clemency.”

Family members of the late Virginia Giuffre, one of the most outspoken Epstein victims, released a letter directly addressing Maxwell: “You were a central, deliberate actor in a system built to find children, isolate them, groom them, and deliver them to abuse.”

The Oversight Committee’s investigation continues. Chairman Comer confirmed five additional depositions are scheduled, including retail billionaire Leslie Wexner on Feb. 18, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Feb. 26 and former President Bill Clinton on Feb. 27. Leavitt said Tuesday she has not recently discussed a potential Maxwell pardon with the president, adding that the last time it came up, “he said it’s not something he’s considering or thinking about.”

As the Epstein files continue to surface and bipartisan congressional investigations expand, the central question remains: Will the growing web of contradictions between prior public statements and documented evidence prompt meaningful accountability across party lines — or will political tribalism ensure each side scrutinizes only the other’s connections to the disgraced financier?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from Fox News’ reporting on the FBI document, ABC News’ coverage of the police chief’s account, CNN’s analysis of Trump administration claims versus Epstein files, CNN’s reporting on the 2006 phone call, CNBC’s coverage of the FBI document and Lutnick testimony, TIME’s reporting on the Epstein files, PBS NewsHour’s coverage of the White House briefing, NPR’s reporting on Maxwell’s clemency appeal, CBS News’ coverage of the Maxwell deposition, Senator Rosen’s official statement on Lutnick, and ABC News’ reporting on Lutnick resignation calls.

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