Newly released FBI documents have unveiled that President Donald Trump proactively reached out to the Palm Beach Police Chief in 2006, commending the force for their investigative efforts into Jeffrey Epstein and advising them to pay particular attention to Ghislaine Maxwell, whom he labeled as "evil." The documents stem from an interview conducted in October 2019 with Michael Reiter, who served as the head of the Palm Beach Police Department from 2001 to 2009.
According to the FBI summary, President Trump was one of the first individuals to make contact with law enforcement following media reports on the investigation into Epstein for alleged sexual misconduct with minors. "Thank goodness you're stopping him, everyone has known he's been doing this," President Trump reportedly told Reiter. He also recounted an episode where he left a venue upon noticing Epstein accompanied by teenagers and mentioned that he had banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago estate. Furthermore, Trump highlighted Maxwell's role as "Epstein's operative" and stressed the importance of focusing investigative resources on her.
The information was first brought to light by the Miami Herald, which reported on the contents of the FBI document. While Reiter's name is redacted in the official release, corroborating details match the public records regarding his involvement in the Epstein case. Reiter's initial interaction with Epstein predates the investigation, having begun when Epstein filed a police report concerning employee theft.
The FBI summary also noted Epstein's significant financial contributions to the Palm Beach Police Department during the period of the investigation. This included a $40,000 donation for security recording equipment and an uncashed check for $90,000 intended for fingerprinting technology, coinciding with the emergence of the first victim. Epstein further supported a police scholarship program for children with substantial donations.
Chief Reiter described how his department developed a solid case against Epstein, involving sexual battery charges with other parties implicated. However, these efforts were met with resistance from state prosecutors, who questioned the credibility of the victims and often highlighted minor inconsistencies in their accounts, leading to the case being dismissed at the state level.
The document release is part of a larger trove from the Justice Department pertaining to the Epstein case. Epstein eventually pleaded guilty to Florida charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008, under a controversial non-prosecution agreement that allowed him a 13-month sentence with considerable time on work release. In July 2019, Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges but was found deceased in his Manhattan detention cell a month later, ahead of his trial.
