5 Key Revelations From WSJ’s Bombshell Mar-a-Lago Epstein Investigation — Including Why He Was Banned by Trump

(New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)

A bombshell new investigation by The Wall Street Journal adds significant new detail to the long-scrutinized relationship between President Donald Trump, his Mar-a-Lago resort and Jeffrey Epstein, including previously unreported allegations involving a teenage spa worker and a broader pattern of recruitment linked to the disgraced financier’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the newspaper that the reporting amounts to “innuendo” designed to “smear” Trump, although the article does not allege any criminal wrongdoing by the president.

The Journal’s account is built on interviews with former employees and contemporaneous records that shed new light on how Epstein and Maxwell’s behavior produced years of internal unease, staff warnings, and even concerns raised by Trump’s then-wife Marla Maples.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

1. Mar-a-Lago Regularly Sent Spa Workers to Epstein’s Home

According to the Journal, Mar-a-Lago’s spa routinely dispatched employees – “usually young women” – to Epstein’s nearby Palm Beach mansion for massages, manicures, and other services.

Former employees said the house calls went on for years, a practice the newspaper said was not previously reported.

While Epstein was not a dues-paying member of the club, Trump at the time instructed staff to treat him as one, they said. Epstein maintained a spa account, and Maxwell frequently booked appointments in his name.

2. Spa Staff Warned Each Other About Epstein’s Conduct

The Journal reported that Epstein developed a reputation among Mar-a-Lago spa workers for sexual misconduct during house calls.

“Epstein was known among staff for being sexually suggestive and exposing himself during the appointments, according to the former Mar-a-Lago employees,” the article read.

Workers informally warned one another before being sent to his home, according to former staff — but the practice of sending employees continued.

3. Ghislaine Maxwell Used the Spa as a Recruitment Channel, Offering ‘Side Jobs’

Beyond booking appointments, Maxwell allegedly used the Mar-a-Lago spa as a recruiting ground.

Former employees told the Journal that Maxwell approached young spa workers about unauthorized “side jobs,” telling them they could earn extra money by giving massages to her “friend.” These arrangements were not sanctioned by the club, employees said.

A 2009 deposition by Epstein’s house manager further stated that Maxwell visited multiple Palm Beach-area spas searching for massage therapists for Epstein, underscoring how methodical the recruitment effort had become.

One of the most consequential examples involved Virginia Giuffre, who said Maxwell recruited her in 2000 while she was working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago.

Giuffre said she was 16 years old when she left the spa to work for Epstein. In her account, her first visit to Epstein’s mansion ended in sexual assault, followed by years of abuse and trafficking to other powerful men.

Giuffre later testified that she never observed Trump participating in abuse and wrote in her memoir that Trump “couldn’t have been friendlier” when she encountered him.

4. A 2003 Complaint Triggered Epstein’s Ban

The Journal’s most significant new reporting centers on a 2003 incident involving an 18-year-old Mar-a-Lago beautician.

According to former employees, the worker returned from a house call and told managers that Epstein had pressured her for sex. A manager then faxed Trump detailing the allegation and urged that Epstein be barred.

Trump, employees recalled, responded that it was “a good letter” and said to “kick him out.” Epstein and Maxwell were subsequently banned from the spa.

The Journal notes that both the allegation and the spa’s practice of sending workers to Epstein’s home had not been previously reported.

Despite the seriousness of the complaint, the Journal reports that the 2003 allegation was not referred to Palm Beach police.

The beautician disclosed the incident to Mar-a-Lago’s human resources department, but law enforcement was not notified. Police did not begin investigating Epstein until two years later, after a parent reported that Epstein had molested a 14-year-old girl.

5. Marla Maples Raised Concerns Years Earlier

Well before Epstein was barred from the spa, Trump’s second wife, Marla Maples, had voiced discomfort about Epstein’s presence at Mar-a-Lago, according to former employees.

Maples told staff and Trump that something about Epstein felt “wrong” and “off,” and that she worried about his influence. Employees said the comments stood out because Maples rarely spoke negatively about anyone.

Despite those concerns, Epstein continued attending parties and events at Mar-a-Lago for years.