Jeffrey Epstein whistleblower says she warned FBI about Donald Trump decades ago: Report
Maria Farmer, who first reported Epstein and Maxwell in 1996, told the Times that she had urged law enforcement agencies to investigate several powerful men in Epstein's circle at the time, including Trump, who went on to become the 45th President of the United States.
Farmer, who worked for Epstein in the mid-1990s, said she was disturbed by a late-night encounter with Trump in 1995, when she was in her mid-20s. She claimed Trump appeared at Epstein's Manhattan office while she was alone, looked at her legs in a way that made her uncomfortable, and allegedly remarked to Epstein outside the room that he thought she was 16. Farmer says she shared these concerns with the FBI in 1996 and again in 2006.
Law enforcement officials have not accused Trump of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and he has never been the subject of a criminal investigation in this context.
A spokesperson for Trump told the Times that he was never in Epstein's office and denied the claims. The Trump campaign also dismissed Farmer's allegations and accused the media of recycling old stories to tarnish the former president's image. They reiterated that Trump had distanced himself from Epstein years ago, even banning him from his Mar-a-Lago club.
Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2022.
The renewed focus on Trump's past association with Epstein comes amid ongoing demands, from Trump supporters and critics alike, to release sealed federal files related to Epstein's case. Trump has said he supports releasing grand jury testimony and other material to prove he had 'nothing to hide.'
The Times interview with Farmer was published just days after The Wall Street Journal reported on a sexually suggestive birthday message Trump allegedly sent Epstein in 2003, a claim Trump has denied, calling the report defamatory and filing a $10 billion lawsuit against the media outlet and its owner Rupert Murdoch.
The Epstein files are believed to contain extensive, yet unreleased, information about associates, testimonies, and possible tips that were never used in prosecution. Farmer's account, if backed by documentation, could be politically sensitive for Trump.
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