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By Marni Rose McFall
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Jeffrey Epstein accuser, Maria Farmer, detailed an alleged interaction with President Donald Trump—which she said took place in Epstein's offices—in a recent interview with CNN.
The White House denied that the encounter took place in an email shared with Newsweek, which reads in part: "The President was never in Epstein's office."
Why It Matters
Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting further sex trafficking charges. The disgraced financier had well-documented connections to powerful figures, and his death has long prompted numerous conspiracy theories.
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The Justice Department announced on July 6 that it will not be releasing any more evidence about the investigation into Epstein, and said in a two-page memo that there was no client list of elite figures who participated in Epstein's trafficking of underage girls. On the campaign trail in 2024, Trump had promised to release files related to Epstein.
The president's ties to Epstein have come under fresh scrutiny, with the Trump administration facing pressure from his own supporters to release evidence on Epstein. This intensified after the Wall Street Journal reported on a sexually suggestive note that it said Trump had sent Epstein for his 50th birthday. Trump has since sued the newspaper and called the article "false, malicious, and defamatory."
What To Know
Farmer, 55, is known for providing the initial criminal complaint to law enforcement, the FBI and the New York City Police Department back in 1996 about Epstein's conduct.
In 2019, Farmer filed a sworn affidavit in federal court in New York, which alleged that both she and her sister Annie had been sexually assaulted by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 1996 in separate locations. Epstein is estimated to have abused large numbers of girls, with estimates ranging from a few dozen to over 100.
Speaking to Erin Burnett on CNN, Farmer recounted an alleged encounter with Trump. She said that while she was waiting at Epstein's offices, Trump had arrived there.
She alleged that Trump had stood over her, in a way that she described as "imposing," and that he had looked at her "like he was in on some secret or something."
"I felt threatened, so I made an ugly face," Farmer says in the interview.
She then states that Epstein said "Oh no, no, no," and added, "She's not here for you," before escorting Trump out of the room.
Farmer continued that she had always wondered "was someone in there" adding "I have no way of knowing."
In the interview, Farmer also alleged that "Trump had made a really vulgar comment."
"He made a joke to Epstein. 'Oh, I thought she was 16,'" she said.
She continued: "I didn't think it was funny."
Asked by Burnett about how close Trump and Epstein were, Farmer said: "It was a known thing among the staff and among everyone that they were best friends."
In a statement shared with Newsweek over email, Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, denied that Trump had ever been in Epstein's office, and said: "The fact is that the president kicked him out of his club for being a creep."
What People Are Saying
Steven Cheung, White House communications director, told Newsweek: "This is recycled, old, fake news of the highest order that was already peddled by dying 'news organizations' like CNN more than six years ago. This fake story was concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about. The President was never in Epstein's office, and in fact, the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep."
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday: "I have asked the Justice Department to release all Grand Jury testimony with respect to Jeffrey Epstein, subject only to Court Approval. With that being said, and even if the Court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request. It will always be more, more, more. MAGA!"
Maria Farmer, speaking on CNN, said: "I felt very intimidated. Because, I had on running shorts, and I was vulnerable, sweaty, just, a nobody in an office with these two men that it felt very predatory and uncomfortable."
What's Next
Farmer filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the federal government in May, accusing the FBI, Justice Department and U.S. Attorney's Office of negligence and failing to protect her and other accusers of Epstein.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche requested the unsealing of transcripts from grand jury proceedings that resulted in indictments against Epstein and Maxwell.
The Trump administration is likely to continue facing calls to release the government's files on the Epstein case.
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