Donald Trump’s hiring practices at Mar-a-Lago have returned to the headlines after being mentioned in the latest revelations surrounding Jeffrey Epstein. Reportedly, Trump had hired teenage masseuses whom he then sent on house calls to Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion. It’s still early in this particular case, so there are no obvious smoking guns yet. Epstein was a pariah even then, long before he was formally labeled a criminal. His ties to the British royal family and his inexplicable status as a high-end financier, however, made his position in Trump’s circle seemingly unshakeable. These days, the president is often criticized for pardoning bona fide and unapologetic criminals, but if you look back at his history, that pattern makes sense. Trump has always surrounded himself with useful, powerful people — and that did not start with Elon Musk. During the mid-1990s, Mar-a-Lago was one of the few Trump properties that actually generated revenue, and it depended heavily on the dues-paying members of the exclusive golf resort. Reportedly, Epstein was not one such member, yet Trump personally insisted that his staff treat him like one regardless. Epstein had not yet been arrested for his sex crimes at this point in time, but it was already public knowledge within these circles that his behavior was troubling. In fact, it seems the only people who had no issue with it were those who vacationed with him, some of whom now appear in the photos that surfaced after the files were finally released. Among Mar-a-Lago employees, Epstein was apparently widely disliked — not just by high-ranking staff, but also by the teenage masseuses Trump had hired. According to People, workers “warned each other about Epstein, who was known among staff for being sexually suggestive and exposing himself during the appointments.” In 2003, an 18-year-old Mar-a-Lago staffer was attending a house call at the financier’s residence when she alleged that he “pressured her for sex.” A manager at the resort then relayed the allegations to Trump via fax, and Trump gave the green light to ban Epstein from the property. Under normal circumstances, that would be a complete story requiring little further scrutiny. But per PBS, Trump later offered a different account of the rift when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One what caused it. Trump said it was due to staffing issues — not harassment — but rather Epstein poaching employees from him. Trump stated, “He stole people that worked for me. I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again, and I threw him out of the place, persona non grata.” These conflicting accounts — and the precise details surrounding the hiring practices of Epstein and his former friend Trump — may ultimately be key to unlocking the mystery of the Epstein trafficking ring. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has dismissed the reports, saying the press is “writing up fallacies and innuendo in order to smear President Trump.” Yet two questions remain: Is Trump referring to a second incident that has yet to be disclosed? And what exactly were these employees being “stolen” for.