During the summer of 2009, we began seeking information from those who had reportedly been close friends of Epstein, including Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, and I issued subpoenas demanding that they tell us what they knew.
The first of Epstein’s powerful friends to respond in a meaningful way was Trump. He explained that he was a business acquaintance of Epstein from many years earlier. He said the two had attended many of the same events and parties, but that he was not as close with Epstein as the media had made it seem.
I reminded Trump that he had been quoted in a 2002 New York magazine article stating: ‘I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life.’
Close: Donald Trump posing with future wife Melania, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2000
Trump had an answer for this, saying when that article was being written, Epstein called him to say he needed people to say nice things. So he’d asked Trump if he would attribute the quote –written by Jeff himself – as his own words. As it was long before the allegations of Epstein’s abuse surfaced, Trump had agreed.
Trump did say that he always saw Epstein around younger girls, but to his knowledge, none was under age. He said Epstein was not secretive about his lifestyle and whether it was at a party, a private event, or a public event, there were always multiple young women at his side.
I asked about a rumour that Trump had expelled Epstein from the Mar-a-Lago club for trying to take the 15-year-old daughter of a member home with him.
Trump paused before saying that something along those lines happened, but he could not recall the exact details.
He had not spoken with Epstein in years, he said. The last time he remembered seeing Epstein personally was one day when he went to Epstein’s house in Palm Beach for a business meeting, and that was before Epstein’s legal troubles came to light. Trump recalled he had seen young women who, Epstein explained, were part of a mentoring-type programme that he was involved in.
Trump admitted this was odd and then quickly said to me: ‘The guy was always strange. Even back when I ran into him more, I never really liked him.’
Trump did say that he always saw Epstein around younger girls, but to his knowledge, none was under age, writes Bradley Edwards (pictured: Trump is shown on video with Epstein)
American financier Epstein (left) and Trump (right) as they pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997 (file photo)
I met Trump again in 2015, when he again maintained that his relationship with Epstein was primarily based on business.
Over the next few years, I spoke to several witnesses who told us that they had been introduced by Epstein to Trump. Some had seen him at Epstein’s office, others at one of Epstein’s homes, at parties or social events, and even on his plane. In fact, Epstein bragged to certain young women in his life about how he had bailed Trump out of bankruptcy and how he was indebted to him.
Last year, I saw a 1992 video of Epstein and Trump together, suggesting that they were closer social friends than I had been made to understand.
I spoke to several witnesses, some of whom said they had been introduced by Epstein to Trump. Some had seen him at Epstein’s office, others at one of Epstein’s homes, at parties or social events, and even on Epstein’s plane.
And Epstein was happy to use his name when trying to pressure me into dropping the legal action. ‘There is no way they will prosecute me,’ he said. ‘This will go all the way up to the Attorney General. You know Trump was my friend and [Attorney General William] Barr is his boy.’
That said, whether Trump was ever a closer friend than he let on was of no real concern to me. None of the people I interviewed who had met Trump through Epstein claimed that he had engaged in any improper sexual activity, nor did they say that Trump was around when minors were present.