A copy of a birthday message allegedly signed by President Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein was turned over to Congress and published by Democrats on social media on Monday—weeks after Trump denied its existence and filed suit against the Wall Street Journal and its parent company News Corp for libel over a previous report on the letter’s existence.
Key Takeaways
- Democrats on the House Oversight Committee published a photo to X on Monday, claiming, “HERE IT IS: We got Trump’s birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein that the President said doesn’t exist.”
- The Wall Street Journal also published a copy of the alleged letter from the president, noting that lawyers for Epstein’s estate turned over the letter to Congress.
- The Journal first reported on the letter in July, sparking a denial and lawsuit from Trump.
- Forbes has reached out to the House Oversight Committee for further comment.
Chief Critic
Taylor Budowich, Trump’s deputy White House chief of staff, continued to deny the note’s authenticity on Monday afternoon. “It’s not his signature,” Budowich wrote in a post on X, including photos of the president’s signature from an autograph dated 2024 and listed on eBay.
Key Background
The existence of the note was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in July, shortly after the Trump administration ended an effort to release documents related to the investigations into the financier, who faced federal charges for sex trafficking before being found dead in his jail cell in 2019. In a post on Truth Social after the report was published, Trump called the letter “FAKE,” insisting “these are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.” Trump filed a lawsuit against the Journal, its publisher Dow Jones, and parent company News Corp, seeking $10 billion in damages.
Why Does The House Committee Have This Note?
The House Oversight Committee is currently reviewing thousands of documents related to the various investigations into Epstein, an effort that began in August. Democrats on the Committee have largely criticised the documents they have been given from the Justice Department so far, noting that most had already been made public and contained no new information. Lawyers representing Epstein’s estate turned over the “birthday book” to the committee, the Journal reported, as part of materials handed over after a congressional subpoena. The committee said it would make documents from Epstein’s estate public after necessary redactions were made to protect victims, and it was not immediately clear when the book would be available to review.
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