Everyone knew about Epstein, Trump told Palm Beach police chief, called his ex evil

A former Florida police chief said he received a call from Donald Trump in 2006 in which the now-President told him that everyone knew about the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's behaviour, according to an FBI document released in the latest batch of Epstein files.

This contradicts the US president’s long-repeated claim that he was unaware of Epstein’s wrongdoing.

The documents, made public as part of a massive release ordered under a bipartisan transparency law, also placed pressure on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who accepted that he visited the private Caribbean island of Epstein in 2012.

FBI FILES REVEAL ALLEGED 2006 PHONE CALL

According to a summary of a 2019 FBI interview, Trump spoke to Palm Beach police in a phone call in July 2006, shortly after Epstein’s first sex crime charges became public.

The interview was conducted with former Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter, who said Trump called him to express support for the investigation.

Reiter recalled Trump saying: "Thank goodness you're stopping him, everyone has known he's been doing this."

Trump allegedly told Reiter that people in New York were aware of Epstein’s behaviour and warned him about Epstein’s close associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, describing her as "evil", according to the document.

The FBI summary also states that Trump said he had once been around Epstein when teenagers were present and that he "got the hell out of there."

He later confirmed the account to the Miami Herald, which first reported on the interview.

However, the United States Department of Justice said it had found no independent evidence to support the claim.

"We are not aware of any corroborating evidence that the president contacted law enforcement 20 years ago," the department said, as per Reuters.

WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS TRUMP

Trump has accepted being friendly with Epstein in the past but says their relationship ended before the first arrest. He has repeatedly denied knowing about any abuse.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted the president had been open about his past.

She told reporters that Trump had been "honest and transparent" about cutting ties with Epstein.

"It was a phone call that may or may not have happened in 2006. I don't know the answer to that question," Leavitt added, referring to the alleged 2006 call.

LUTNICK ADMITS TO SECRETIVE VISIT TO EPSTEIN’S ISLAND

The Epstein scandal continues to haunt the Trump administration, years after Epstein’s death and despite repeated denials from senior officials.

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Lutnick sought to downplay his relationship with Epstein, telling lawmakers that he had barely had anything to do with him.

Justice Department files, however, include emails suggesting Lutnick visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2012, years after he said he had ended all contact.

Lutnick told senators: "I know and my wife knows that I have done absolutely nothing wrong in any possible regard."

Epstein was found dead in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide, but it has fuelled years of conspiracy theories.

- Ends

With inputs from agencies

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