
Trump ‘named twice' to FBI by Epstein accuser as president peddles Gabbard's Obama conspiracy: Live
Maria Farmer said she urged the bureau to investigate people in Epstein's social circle, including Trump, in 1996 and again in 2006 after a 'troubling encounter,' she told The New York Times.
Farmer recalled that during an alleged visit to Epstein 's office in 1995, Trump 'started to hover over her' and allegedly stared at her legs, leaving her feeling frightened. ''No, no. She's not here for you,'' Epstein reportedly told Trump, according to Farmer. The White House denied that Trump ever visited Epstein's office.
The report lands amid MAGA backlash over the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein case. Amid the fallout, Trump has been accused by Democrats of trying to 'change the subject' by promoting Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's conspiracy theory involving former President Barack Obama tied to the origins of the Russia investigation into Trump's 2016 campaign.
Trump shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social Thursday, showing Obama being arrested by FBI agents in the Oval Office set to the Village People's YMCA.
Epstein accuser 'named Trump twice' to FBI
One of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers claimed she met Donald Trump in the convicted pedophile's New York office in what was described as a 'troubling encounter,' according to a report.
Artist Maria Farmer said she urged the FBI to look into people in the disgraced financier's social circle, including the president, after the alleged encounter in the 90s, she told The New York Times.
Farmer and her younger sister Annie, who testified at Ghislaine Maxwell's 2021 sex trafficking trial, have spoken publicly about their ordeal with Epstein before. But her account now sheds light on how the Epstein files could contain material that is 'embarrassing or politically problematic' to the president, the Times reports.
Farmer's account is among 'the clearest indications yet' of how Trump may appear in the Epstein files, the Times notes, though the White House disputed the alleged encounter.
Rhian Lubin has the full story:
Artist Maria Farmer said she urged the FBI to look into people in the disgraced financier's social circle, including the president
James Liddell21 July 2025 08:54
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