Donald Trump has awkwardly defended a past association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, saying he was a "fixture in Palm Beach".
A day after the 66-year-old financier was charged in a New York court with sex trafficking and accused of luring dozens of girls to his luxury homes and coercing them into performing sex acts, the president was asked about his relationship with him.
Epstein had once been a regular at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, but the president claimed he long ago had a falling out with him.
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“I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. The people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach,” Mr Trump told reporters, in a seemingly awkward exchange at the White House, where the president was meeting with Qatar's Sheikh Tamim Bin-Hamad Al-Thani.
“I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don’t think I have spoken with him for 15 years. I was not a fan. A long time ago. I’d say maybe 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.”
Shape Created with Sketch. Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire Show all 8 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Jeffrey Epstein: Controversies surrounding paedophile billionaire 1/8 Jeffrey Epstein's mugshot Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's mugshot, taken after he was indicted for soliciting a prostitute on 26 July 2006. Beginning in mid-March 2005, Epstein became the target of a sexual battery probe conducted by the Palm Beach Police Department, according to the affidavit, which alleges that Epstein paid a series of underage girls to engage in sexual activity with him. In a 2002 New York magazine profile of Epstein, Donald Trump called the moneyman a 'terrific guy' who 'likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' Epstein, who reportedly runs a multibillion-dollar investment fund, travels in his own Boeing 727 (upon which he has transported Bill Clinton to Africa) and owns a 45,000-square-foot mansion on Manhattan's Upper East Side 2/8 Jeffrey Epstein in court Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to felony solicitation and procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Epstein, allegedly paid several girls under the age of 18 in return for naked massages at his Palm Beach, Florida estate 3/8 Jeffrey Epstein in court Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein attends court as he pleads guilty to solicitation and procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution, 2008 Rex 4/8 Jeffrey Epstein's car Jeffrey Epstein is whisked away from the Palm Beach County jail in a black car shortly after 6am on 22 July 2009. Epstein left the jail through the sally port, where prisoners are brought in, rather than through the main doors where prisoners are routinely released 5/8 Jack Goldberger, Jeffrey Epstein's attorney Jeffrey Epstein's attorney, Jack Goldberger, talks with reporters gathered outside the Palm Beach County jail on 22 July 2009 after Epstein was whisked away from the jail in a black car 6/8 Jeffrey Epstein Florida Police department sexual offenders database picture of Jeffrey Epstein taken in 2013 7/8 Jeffrey Epstein's island General views of Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean island, Little St James, part of the US Virgin Islands 8/8 Jeffrey Epstein's mansion Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach mansion in Florida 1/8 Jeffrey Epstein's mugshot Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's mugshot, taken after he was indicted for soliciting a prostitute on 26 July 2006. Beginning in mid-March 2005, Epstein became the target of a sexual battery probe conducted by the Palm Beach Police Department, according to the affidavit, which alleges that Epstein paid a series of underage girls to engage in sexual activity with him. In a 2002 New York magazine profile of Epstein, Donald Trump called the moneyman a 'terrific guy' who 'likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' Epstein, who reportedly runs a multibillion-dollar investment fund, travels in his own Boeing 727 (upon which he has transported Bill Clinton to Africa) and owns a 45,000-square-foot mansion on Manhattan's Upper East Side 2/8 Jeffrey Epstein in court Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to felony solicitation and procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Epstein, allegedly paid several girls under the age of 18 in return for naked massages at his Palm Beach, Florida estate 3/8 Jeffrey Epstein in court Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein attends court as he pleads guilty to solicitation and procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution, 2008 Rex 4/8 Jeffrey Epstein's car Jeffrey Epstein is whisked away from the Palm Beach County jail in a black car shortly after 6am on 22 July 2009. Epstein left the jail through the sally port, where prisoners are brought in, rather than through the main doors where prisoners are routinely released 5/8 Jack Goldberger, Jeffrey Epstein's attorney Jeffrey Epstein's attorney, Jack Goldberger, talks with reporters gathered outside the Palm Beach County jail on 22 July 2009 after Epstein was whisked away from the jail in a black car 6/8 Jeffrey Epstein Florida Police department sexual offenders database picture of Jeffrey Epstein taken in 2013 7/8 Jeffrey Epstein's island General views of Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean island, Little St James, part of the US Virgin Islands 8/8 Jeffrey Epstein's mansion Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach mansion in Florida
The Trump administration has been on the defensive following the new charges against Epstein and the revelation that a 2008 plea deal - since ruled illegal by a court - that provided him immunity from federal prosecution, was overseen by Alexander Acosta.
Mr Acosta now serves as Mr Trump’s labour secretary, and Democrats have called for him to resign.
The president said he felt "very badly" for Mr Acosta.
“I do hear that there were a lot of people involved in that decision, not just him,” he said.
“The rest of it, we'll have to look at. We’ll have to look at it very carefully. But you're talking about a long time ago.”
In 2002, Mr Trump told New York magazine of Mr Epstein: “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen 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.”
newsreadhjw on July 9th, 2019 at 20:36 UTC »
From a Vox article on their relationship:
“Several [EDIT: 14 different numbers!] phone numbers for Trump, including an emergency contact and a number for Trump’s security, were among many notable people’s numbers listed in Epstein’s “black book” (which was later obtained by the government).”
cranktheguy on July 9th, 2019 at 19:15 UTC »
The 15 years is incredibly convenient. It's a couple of years before he was charged and a couple of years after Trump called him a "great guy."
deathtotheemperor on July 9th, 2019 at 19:09 UTC »
First he didn't know him at all.
Then he only met him briefly at a couple of events.
Then he knew him casually because he was a neighbor.
Know he knew him well enough to have a falling out with him, and avoid speaking to him for 15 years.
Maybe tomorrow we'll find out they're actually twin brothers.