Trump ‘got the hell out’ after seeing teens around Epstein, FBI files reveal

TLDR:

• President Trump told Palm Beach police he “got the hell out of there” after seeing teenage girls around Jeffrey Epstein in the early 2000s
• Newly released FBI files show Mr. Trump was among the first to alert authorities when the investigation began in 2005
• Mr. Trump warned police that Ghislaine Maxwell was “evil” and urged them to focus on her
• The Justice Department documents corroborate Mr. Trump’s account of banning Epstein from Mar-a-Lago

President Trump witnessed something troubling around Jeffrey Epstein two decades ago — and immediately distanced himself, according to bombshell Justice Department files released this week.

A 2020 FBI document shows Mr. Trump called Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter after encountering teenage girls at an Epstein gathering. “I was around Epstein once” when young girls were present, Mr. Trump told the chief. “I got the hell out of there.”

Mr. Trump became one of the first people to contact police when their investigation began in 2005, telling Mr. Reiter: “Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone knows he’s been doing this.”

The president told investigators he banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club after the financier lured away a female employee, Virginia Giuffre, who later became a prominent Epstein victim.

Mr. Trump also warned police about Ghislaine Maxwell, calling her “evil” and urging them to “focus on her.” Ms. Maxwell is now serving 20 years for sex trafficking and seeking a pardon from Mr. Trump.

The files corroborate Mr. Trump’s longstanding account of his break with Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Read more:

• Trump called police two decades ago to report on Epstein, Maxwell