A Justice Department release of FBI interview summaries in late January 2026 includes an account that President Donald Trump phoned Palm Beach law enforcement in 2006 and urged attention on Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, describing Epstein as “disgusting” and Maxwell as “evil,” according to a retired chief’s 2019 interview summary. The former Palm Beach police chief, identified in the document as the department head during the Epstein probe, told FBI agents in October 2019 that Trump called to thank him for stopping Epstein and to urge focus on Maxwell. The document is part of a larger trove the DOJ made public related to investigations of Epstein and Maxwell. Maxwell, serving a 20-year federal sentence, has refused to testify to a House committee and her lawyer has publicly requested executive clemency so she could speak freely.
Key takeaways
- The FBI summary (a 302) records a 2006 telephone call from Donald Trump to then-Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter; Reiter described the call to FBI agents in October 2019.
- The interview summary quotes Trump as saying people in New York knew Epstein was “disgusting” and identifying Maxwell as Epstein’s operative, urging investigators to “focus on her.”
- Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida state charges in 2008 for soliciting a minor; he avoided federal prosecution under that earlier deal.
- Epstein died by suicide in a New York federal jail on August 10, 2019, two months before Reiter’s October 2019 FBI interview.
- The DOJ released millions of documents related to Epstein and Maxwell in late January 2026; Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for crimes tied to procuring underage victims.
- The White House said Trump expelled Epstein from Mar-a-Lago decades earlier; the DOJ said it is not aware of independent corroborating evidence that the President contacted law enforcement two decades ago.
- Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right and declined to testify to the House Oversight Committee; her attorney asked President Trump for clemency so she could provide what he termed a full account.
Background
Jeffrey Epstein was a financier whose social network included wealthy figures and prominent socialites; Ghislaine Maxwell was later convicted for roles in procuring underage victims for Epstein. In the mid-2000s, Palm Beach police investigated allegations of sexual activity involving minors at properties connected to Epstein. That local probe led to charges resolved in a 2008 state plea agreement that spared Epstein from federal prosecution at the time.
Public scrutiny of Epstein intensified after his July 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein’s August 10, 2019 death in federal custody renewed investigations and congressional interest in the earlier prosecutorial decisions. The DOJ’s release of interview summaries and related records in January 2026 is part of a larger effort to make material from those inquiries available to the public and to congressional oversight entities.
Main event
The DOJ-disclosed FBI 302 summary describes a retired Palm Beach Police Chief telling agents in October 2019 that President Trump had called him in 2006 to thank the department for stopping Epstein and to urge that Maxwell be targeted. According to the summary, the then-chief said Trump recounted having left an occasion because teenagers were present around Epstein and described Epstein as “disgusting.” The chief identified Maxwell as Epstein’s operative and told the FBI Trump urged investigators to “focus on her.”
The summary surfaced amid renewed attention to Maxwell as she appeared virtually before the House Oversight Committee and declined to answer questions, citing her constitutional privilege against self-incrimination. Maxwell’s attorney publicly requested executive clemency from President Trump so she could speak without invoking that protection; clemency could be a full pardon or a sentence commutation, either of which would alter her legal status or incarceration timeline.
White House spokespeople reiterated a longstanding claim that Mr. Trump removed Epstein from Mar-a-Lago years earlier because Epstein had behaved improperly toward employees. The Department of Justice, in contrast, told reporters it was not aware of corroborating evidence confirming that the President had contacted law enforcement 20 years earlier, leaving factual corroboration of the 302 account an open question.
Analysis & implications
If the 302 summary accurately reflects a 2006 phone call from Mr. Trump to Palm Beach leadership, it adds a contemporaneous claim that Trump publicly distanced himself from Epstein and urged attention on Maxwell. For political actors, the account can be read in multiple ways: as evidence of early public condemnation, as a defensive posture, or as corroboration of accounts that Epstein’s behavior was known within certain social circles. None of those readings substitute for documentary corroboration.
Legally, the mechanics of executive clemency are central to current debate. Maxwell’s counsel suggests clemency would allow her to disclose information without self-incrimination, a claim that, if acted on, could reshape what witnesses are willing to say publicly. A pardon or commutation would not, however, itself create criminal liability for others nor automatically verify specific allegations; it would remove legal protections that currently constrain testimony.
For oversight and prosecutorial bodies, the 302 is a piece of testimonial evidence that must be weighed alongside phone records, contemporaneous notes, third-party testimony, and documentary records. The DOJ statement that it lacks corroboration means investigators and journalists will likely seek additional independent evidence—records, call logs, or other witnesses—to confirm whether that presidential contact occurred as described.
Comparison & data
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2006 | According to FBI 302, Trump called Palm Beach police chief after local Epstein probe surfaced. |
| 2008 | Epstein pleads guilty in Florida to state charges involving an underage victim; federal prosecution avoided. |
| 2019 | Epstein arrested on federal sex trafficking charges; dies in federal custody on August 10, 2019. |
| 2026 (Jan–Feb) | DOJ releases trove of documents including 302 summaries; Maxwell declines to testify and her lawyer requests clemency. |
The table places the reported 2006 call in the arc between the original Palm Beach investigation and the later federal probe that culminated in Epstein’s 2019 arrest. That chronology matters because investigative authority, evidence preservation, and prosecutorial decisions evolved across those years, shaping what records remain and what witnesses recall.
Reactions & quotes
Officials and interested parties issued contrasting statements that frame the debate over the 302 summary’s weight.
Trump described Epstein as ‘disgusting’ and said Maxwell was ‘evil’ and to ‘focus on her,’ according to the FBI 302 summarizing the retired chief’s October 2019 interview.
FBI 302 summary (DOJ release)
Context: the 302 is an agent-written summary of an interview, not a verbatim transcript; DOJ materials note the chief identified himself as the Palm Beach leader during the original probe.
The White House has maintained that ‘President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees.’
White House statement (press office)
Context: that statement reiterates a defense often offered by administration spokespeople that Trump disassociated himself from Epstein after problematic behavior at Mar-a-Lago.
We are not aware of any corroborating evidence that the President contacted law enforcement 20 years ago.
U.S. Department of Justice (statement to press)
Context: DOJ’s public comment indicates the department has not located independent records that confirm the presidential contact described in the 302; that leaves the interview summary as an uncorroborated piece of testimonial evidence pending further confirmation.
Unconfirmed
- The DOJ says it has no corroborating evidence that the President contacted law enforcement in 2006; independent confirmation of a presidential call is not publicly available.
- The precise meaning of an April 2019 email line reported as ‘knew about the girls’ has not been clarified publicly and remains ambiguous.
- Whether executive clemency would in practice induce Maxwell to provide substantive new testimony, and what that testimony would prove, is currently speculative.
Bottom line
The released FBI 302 summary places a contemporaneous claim on the record that President Trump criticized Jeffrey Epstein and urged Palm Beach police to pursue Ghislaine Maxwell during a 2006 telephone exchange, according to a retired chief’s recounting. That account, however, currently stands without public, independent corroboration, and DOJ has said it is unaware of confirming evidence.
For investigators, journalists, and lawmakers, the summary is a prompt to seek secondary proof—phone logs, witnesses, and documents—that would substantiate a presidential contact. For the public and political actors, the exchange highlights how testimonial fragments can re-emerge years later and shape oversight, legal strategy, and public perception even when definitive corroboration remains elusive.