"Michael Reiter's account of a conversation with Trump, contained within the justice department's release of 3m Epstein files, dramatically contrasts with the US president's public statements. After Epstein's arrest in July 2019, Trump said I had no idea when asked if he knew about his former friend's abuse of teenage girls. Reiter, who retired in 2009, confirmed to the Miami Herald on Monday that he was the person whose name was redacted from this document."
"The former investigator recounted this conversation during an October 2019 FBI interview. Reiter said this conversation took place in July 2006; around this time, allegations against Epstein were growing. He told the FBI that Trump telephoned him and remarked: Thank goodness you're stopping him, everyone has known he's been doing this."
"The justice department said in a statement: We are not aware of any corroborating evidence that the president contacted law enforcement 20 years ago. At the time of Reiter's statement, local police had been interviewing numerous minor Epstein victims in 2005 and 2006. The FBI and US attorney's office in south Florida investigated these claims. But the case against Epstein concluded with a shocking sweetheart plea deal in 2008 that allowed him to evade federal prosecution if he admitted to state-level prostitution charges."
Michael Reiter, former Palm Beach police chief, told the FBI in October 2019 that Donald Trump telephoned him in July 2006 and praised police for stopping Jeffrey Epstein. Reiter said Trump remarked, "Thank goodness you're stopping him, everyone has known he's been doing this." The justice department's released Epstein files contain Reiter's account and a redaction of his name, which he later confirmed. The justice department stated that it is unaware of corroborating evidence that the president contacted law enforcement two decades ago. Investigations by local police, the FBI and the US attorney's office occurred in 2005–2006, and Epstein later received a 2008 plea deal.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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