A woman who previously accused President Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in 1993 has described the alleged encounter as rape, telling congressional investigators that she suffered bleeding and bruises afterward. Her account was detailed in a report released Monday by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee as part of their examination of Trump’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Beatrice Keul, a former Miss Switzerland and professional model, told committee staff that Trump allegedly raped her inside a suite at Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel when she was 24 years old. According to her testimony, the alleged assault occurred while she was attending the American Dream Pageant, a beauty competition associated with Trump.
Keul said she first encountered Trump during a press luncheon organized for the pageant. She alleged that he offered to help secure her immigration status in the United States and arrange admission to New York University through Paolo Zampolli, a longtime Trump associate who served in his administration until earlier this month.
During the same event, Keul said she also spoke with Epstein for at least 10 minutes. According to her account, Epstein told her he had organized “many parties with Don,” apparently referring to Trump.
Later that day, Keul alleged, Trump invited her to a private suite at the Plaza Hotel. The congressional report states that Trump “grabbed Keul from behind and forcibly raped her,” resulting in “bleeding and bruising on multiple parts of her body.”
Keul further alleged that Trump demanded her silence following the encounter and again offered to help her obtain a U.S. visa and admission to the university.
According to the report, Keul said she was unable to withdraw from the competition immediately because organizers had taken possession of her passport when she arrived. After eventually returning to Switzerland, she refused an invitation to participate in another Trump-sponsored beauty pageant scheduled to take place in Hawaii several weeks later.
TIME reported that it could not independently confirm the details of Keul’s allegations.
The White House strongly rejected her account, maintaining that the accusations were false and asserting that Trump had been “fully exonerated of anything related to Epstein.”
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis criticized the congressional findings, stating: “This ‘report’ is nothing more than a desperate attempt by crazed Democrats to distract Americans from the surging Republican momentum driven by President Trump’s historic achievements.”
Although Keul had previously discussed her accusations against Trump publicly, the newly released report presented additional information about the alleged 1993 incident. It also examined accusations made by several other women who have alleged sexual misconduct involving the president.
Alongside Keul’s testimony, the report brought together allegations from four additional women who have accused Trump of rape or sexual assault in matters connected to the Epstein investigation.
Those accusations concern alleged incidents dating from the mid-1980s through the 1990s. All had previously entered the public record through media interviews or FBI testimony included in documents released as part of the Epstein files.
The publication of the report comes just over a week before Election Day, as Democrats seek to demonstrate how they intend to exercise congressional oversight authority if they secure control of either or both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.
On Monday, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, urged the Justice Department to appoint an independent special counsel to examine the allegations outlined in the report.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, remains the only individual convicted of sex trafficking minors in connection with the Epstein case, according to the report’s account of the investigation.
Raskin argued that a broader independent inquiry was necessary to identify potential additional offenders and examine the government’s handling of related evidence.
“An independent special counsel must investigate Epstein’s co-conspirators and DOJ’s cover-up and ensure that state and foreign prosecutors have the evidence they need to pursue justice,” Raskin said in a statement.
Allegations made against Paolo Zampolli
The congressional report also raises accusations involving Paolo Zampolli, a former Trump administration official and longtime associate of the president, alleging that he was “an active participant” in activities connected to Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking network.
Citing several FBI reports contained in the released Epstein records, the committee’s Democratic members alleged that Zampolli helped young female models obtain U.S. visas before they came into contact with Epstein.
One FBI report described an 18-year-old model whose visa was allegedly arranged by Zampolli before she was recruited to provide a massage at Epstein’s residence. According to the account, Epstein subsequently raped the young woman.
The report’s allegations concerning Zampolli are separate from accusations made against him by model Victoria Drake, who has filed an ongoing civil lawsuit alleging that he drugged and raped her in 2023.
TIME said it contacted Zampolli seeking his response to the allegations.
Zampolli has also been linked to competing accounts of how Trump first met his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.
He previously claimed responsibility for introducing the couple in 1998. However, the congressional report challenges that version of events, referencing two accounts suggesting that Epstein was responsible for the introduction instead.
One account reportedly came from an unidentified associate of Epstein, while the other was attributed to Amanda Ungaro, a Brazilian model who previously had a relationship with Zampolli.
The report also revisited a separate controversy involving Zampolli and Ungaro.
In March, The New York Times reported that Zampolli had contacted a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official the previous year and requested that Ungaro be detained and deported while the former couple were involved in a custody dispute concerning their son.
Zampolli denied making any such request.
Until earlier this month, Zampolli held a diplomatic position at the State Department as Special Representative for Global Partnerships.
According to Politico, he was dismissed from that position two weeks ago following a prolonged disagreement with the department’s deputy secretary that had continued for several months.