Presidents from both sides of the political aisle allegedly provided messages for convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday book, as indicated by documents released Monday by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. However, at least one president has denied the allegations.
President Donald Trump – the current commander-in-chief of the U.S. – is one of the alleged presidential “friends” of Epstein, who died in his prison cell around six years ago. Former President Bill Clinton is the other.
Both are listed in the “friends” section of the book. According to a report published by the Wall Street Journal this summer, the book was compiled for Epstein’s birthday in 2003 by Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite now serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.
That report also alleged that Trump wrote a “bawdy” message to Epstein. In response, the president sued the publication for defamation.
A message that appears to bear Trump’s signature is included in the documents released by the House Oversight Committee. Typed words fill what appears to be the outline of a woman’s body.
“A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret,” reads the last line of the message. Trump has denied that he sent or signed it.
Rumors have swirled about Epstein since his death in 2019, and there have been calls to reveal more about the investigation into his criminal activities.
This year, there was backlash after Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated she would release more information about Epstein before the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a joint letter effectively saying that no more documents would be released.
Trump, a real estate mogul, has admitted to knowing Epstein and both ran in similar circles in New York and Florida. Epstein was known for making contacts with well-known and powerful people – for example, Maxwell said in an interview this year that she and Epstein once went on a trip to the Dakotas to search for dinosaur bones with current Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Maxwell, who was recently moved from a Florida prison to a lower-security prison in Texas, also said during that interview that she did not think Epstein was “close friends” with Trump. The president has said that he stopped speaking with Epstein in the early 2000s after a falling out over a real estate issue.
“It’s appalling Democrats on the Oversight Committee are cherry-picking documents and politicizing information received from the Epstein Estate today,” said committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) of the document release. It follows an Aug. 25 subpoena Comer issued.
Comer added that Trump is “not accused of any wrongdoing and Democrats are ignoring the new information the Committee received today. The Committee will pursue additional Epstein bank records based on this new information.”
In addition to denying that he wrote or sent the message, Trump said the issue was “dead” this Monday, according to NBC News. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that Trump’s team would be open to having a handwriting analyst prove that the signature included in the Epstein birthday book is not Trump’s. Leavitt also said Trump’s legal team is still pursuing action against the Wall Street Journal.
As for the other president allegedly included in the birthday book, a message attributed to Clinton mentions Epstein’s “childlike curiosity” and “desire to make a difference.” Clinton was notably embroiled in a scandal revolving around inappropriate conduct with White House intern Monica Lewinsky during his second term.
Per a report in the New York Post, neither Clinton nor Trump have been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein.
A message allegedly from high-profile attorney Alan Dershowitz dated Dec. 11, 2002, also mentions Clinton.
“As a birthday gift to you, I managed to obtain an early version of the Vanity Unfair article. I talked them into changing the focus from you to Bill Clinton, as you will see in the enclosed expert. Happy birthday and best regards,” it read. It also apparently included a mock up of a Vanity Fair spoof with headlines about Epstein, most of a sexual nature.
According to the House Oversight Committee, it is conducting a thorough investigation of the Epstein documents. A press release from the committee said it also obtained information about Epstein’s bank accounts.