Trump contacted police during 2006 Epstein investigation, described ‘Evil’ Ghislaine Maxwell as Epstein’s ‘Operative’ oan

OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
12:40 PM – Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Newly unsealed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) documents have revealed that President Donald Trump personally contacted the Palm Beach Police Department in 2006 to praise their investigation into pedophile sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein, while simultaneously labeling Ghislaine Maxwell as “evil” as Epstein is — in addition to being an “operative” for him.

The revelation is contained in a 2019 FBI interview summary, known as a “302” report, with former Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter. Reiter served as police chief from 2001 to 2009, and he confirmed his identity as the redacted source in the documents to the Miami Herald outlet.

According to the document, Trump called Chief Reiter in July 2006, shortly after the local investigation into Epstein became public knowledge. Reiter later affirmed to fellow federal agents that Trump had expressed relief that the disgraced “financier” was finally being scrutinized.

“Thank goodness you’re stopping him,” Trump purportedly told the chief. “Everyone has known he’s been doing this,” he added, noting that Epstein’s behavior was an open secret among social circles in New York and Florida.

 

The records also indicate that Trump was one of the first individuals to contact the police department regarding the case. The now-president reportedly told Reiter that he had once been around Epstein when teenagers were present and immediately “got the hell out of there,” after Epstein made a number of highly inappropriate remarks.

Meanwhile, another notable detail in the FBI 302 report concerns Maxwell, who has been described by authorities as Epstein’s accomplice. While Trump would later wish Maxwell “well” during a 2020 press conference following her arrest, the 2006 accounts suggest he viewed her with scorn and extreme suspicion nearly two decades ago.

Trump later explained his “wish her well” remarks by expressing concern for Maxwell’s safety in custody, referencing Epstein’s alleged suicide in jail. In the Axios interview, Trump said, “Her [Ghislaine’s] friend or boyfriend was either killed or committed suicide in jail. She’s now in jail. [So] yeah, I wish her well. I’d wish you well. I’d wish a lot of people well. Good luck…”

 

Then-White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany echoed this stance at the time, stating that Trump was simply noting how “the last person who was charged in this case ended up dead in a jail cell,” implying a wish that Maxwell not meet a similar fate — so that she can reveal the other key figures involved in the sexual abuse network.

“The president was noting that the last person who was charged in this case ended up dead in a jail cell… the president wants justice to be served for the victims… and he prefers this to play out in a courtroom,” McEnany stated at the time.

According to the 302 Interview Summary, after speaking with the now-president, Chief Reiter emphasized that “Trump said Maxwell was Epstein’s operative… she is evil and to focus on her.”

However, in the report, the specific “type” of operative isn’t given a detailed vocational label, such as “intelligence operative.” Instead, the report only uses the word operative to describe her functional role as the primary enabler and “handler” for Epstein’s illegal activities.

Meanwhile, this account aligns with Trump’s long-standing assertion that he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago in the mid-2000s after the financier reportedly “poached” a young massage therapist from the club’s spa. In remarks last year, Trump acknowledged that Virginia Giuffre, who tragically died in April 2025, was among one of the young employees Epstein “stole.”

Giuffre had long maintained that Maxwell recruited her under the guise of a legitimate job while she was a 16-year-old locker room attendant at the club in 2000. Prior to her passing last year, Giuffre also affirmed that Trump was not involved in Epstein’s sexual abuse operation. In her memoir, “Nobody’s Girl,” she recalled Trump being “friendlier” than most and did not level any allegations of misconduct or sexual impropriety against him.

Following the release of Epstein-related files — including the FBI 302 report detailing Trump’s 2006 call to police — Democrat lawmakers, including Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), have criticized the DOJ for over-redactions and incomplete transparency in the documents.

However, their public statements have focused on systemic redactions and demands for fuller disclosure rather than directly portraying Trump as complicit in concealing Epstein and Maxwell’s activities over time.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence. Her legal team recently reached out to the White House seeking executive clemency, suggesting she would be willing to speak open and “honestly” about her past — should her sentence be commuted. On Monday, she also invoked her Fifth Amendment rights during a virtual deposition before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, refusing to answer questions about other high-profile “associates” of Epstein.