The White House has denied that an alleged letter from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein is authentic, saying the president “did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it”.
US lawmakers released the letter, which features a drawing of a woman’s body, as part of a “birthday book” given to Epstein in 2003.
The book was part of a trove of documents released by a US House committee, including the late paedophile financier’s will and his personal address book, which includes the names of royalty, celebrities, models and politicians from around the world.
The birthday book also contains a message from Lord Peter Mandelson, the UK Ambassador to the US, in which he calls Epstein “my best pal”.
The House Oversight Committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein’s estate to produce a number of documents, including the birthday book.
The release comes as the president faces growing pressure, including from his own supporters and within his own Republican Party, for more transparency on what investigations into Epstein uncovered.
Trump said while campaigning during the 2024 election that he would be open to making more information public but he changed his position after assuming power, saying the case was closed.
Victims of Epstein last week added to the clamour by describing the abuse they suffered and calling for the release of the so-called Epstein files.
The 238-page book has dozens of contributors, including Lord Mandelson who describes Epstein as an “intelligent, sharp-witted man” who “parachuted” into his life.
When asked by the BBC about the book, a spokesman for Lord Mandelson said that the ambassador had long been clear that he very much regretted having been introduced to Epstein.
The book was put together for Epstein’s 50th birthday by Ghislaine Maxwell, his British co-conspirator and ex-girlfriend who was convicted in 2021 of conspiring with him to traffic girls for sex. It was created in 2003 – three years before allegations of sex abuse by Epstein became public.
The scrapbook contains submissions, apparently from various people connected to Epstein, including high-profile politicians and business leaders.
As well as the alleged note from Trump, who was his friend at the time, there is another which appears to be from former President Bill Clinton, which mentions Epstein’s “childlike curiosity”.
A spokesperson for Clinton has acknowledged that he was acquainted with Epstein at the time but knew nothing of his crimes.
The BBC has contacted the Clinton Foundation and a lawyer for the former president for comment.
Prince Andrew, a friend of Epstein’s, is briefly mentioned in the book. A note from an unidentified woman says she met Prince Andrew, Clinton and Trump through Epstein, as well as a number of celebrities.
The woman goes on to say she has “seen the private quarters of Buckingham Palace” and “sat on the Queen of England’s throne”. Prince Andrew has faced allegations as part of the Epstein saga and has denied any wrongdoing.
When the alleged Trump note was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in July, the president said it was “a fake thing” and denied writing it. He filed a lawsuit against the paper’s reporters, publisher and executives, including News Corp’s owner Rupert Murdoch, seeking $10bn (£7.4bn) in damages.
The newspaper did not publish an image of the note at the time but the details of its written description matches the picture that was released on Monday.
Democratic lawmakers published an image of the birthday note on X ahead of the committee’s release of the book and other Epstein documents.
The signed note allegedly from Trump features several lines of text in an imagined conversation between him and Epstein, with the final line reading: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump has not commented on the note’s release, though the White House denied on Monday that the president produced anything for the book and said the signature on the note did not match Trump’s.
Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the Republican-led House Oversight panel, said Trump had “claimed that his birthday note didn’t exist”.
“Now we know that Donald Trump was lying and is doing everything he can to cover up the truth.”
In a statement, Republican committee chairman James Comer accused Democrats on the panel of “cherry-picking documents and politicizing information” they received from the estate.
“Oversight Committee Republicans are focused on running a thorough investigation to bring transparency and accountability for survivors of Epstein’s heinous crimes and the American people,” he said.
Along with the book, lawmakers also released a 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and federal prosecutors at the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and almost 30 years of entries in his personal address book.
After Democrats released the note on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said “President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation” against the Wall Street Journal.
Trump and Epstein were friendly for years, but the president has said he fell out with him in the early 2000s after the financier poached employees from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Epstein was first criminally indicted in 2006 in Florida on a state felony charge of solicitation of prostitution. He died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on other charges.
