PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Trump denies Epstein birthday card
President Donald Trump is denying sending Jeffrey Epstein a birthday card in 2003, following a Wall Street Journal story. Trump has sued the WSJ, and has ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to release grand jury testimony related to the Epstein case.
LOS ANGELES – Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Monday released a sexually suggestive letter to Jeffrey Epstein, which they say was allegedly signed by President Donald Trump.
Trump’s ‘bawdy’ message to Epstein
What we know:
The House Oversight Committee received a copy of a 2003 birthday album for alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein as part of a batch of documents from his estate.
Included in the album was a letter bearing Trump’s name and signature. The letter also contains text framed by a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman.
The letter’s text reads: “a pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Trump drew naked woman, wrote ‘bawdy’ message in birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein: WSJ
The letter released by the committee looks exactly as described in an earlier report from The Wall Street Journal.
The backstory:
WSJ explained in its previous report that the alleged letter contained, “several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman” and a “pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Trump defends Bondi over Epstein client list
The album reportedly contained poems, photos and greetings from people in finance, academics, Epstein’s former girlfriends and childhood friends.
The book was put together by Herbert Weitz, a bookbinder, according to WSJ’s report. Weitz died about 17 years after Epstein’s 50th birthday.
Trump denies birthday letter
What they’re saying:
After the letter was released, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted pictures on X of Trump’s signature and tagged The Wall Street Journal’s parent corporation, News Corp., writing: “Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it’s not his signature. DEFAMATION!”
Trump has denied writing the letter and creating the drawing, calling a report on it “false, malicious, and defamatory.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Epstein files latest: DOJ will give documents to Congress
“These are not my words, not the way I talk. also, I don’t draw pictures,” Trump wrote.
He has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the WSJ for the report on the alleged letter.
Controversy over Trump’s handling of Epstein case
Dig deeper:
Trump has been at the center of controversy over his administration’s handling of the Epstein case.
The letter’s disclosure comes amid a bipartisan push in Congress for the release of the so-called Epstein files amid years of speculation and conspiracy theories. Calls for the release of the records came from Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance before he was sworn into the country’s No. 2 position.
The so-called “Epstein list” had been a national topic during Trump’s second term after Attorney General Pam Bondi had promised to release the documents linked to the disgraced financier months before federal agents debunked the AG’s idea.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Earlier in the year, a group of pro-Trump social media influencers and conservative media personalities posed outside the White House holding binders that read “The Epstein Files,” in reference to Bondi’s Feb. 2025 promise to make the documents public.
Epstein’s crimes and ties to powerful figures have been heavily documented through lawsuits and FOIA requests. Epstein abused minors for years before dying by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Trump’s ties to Epstein
Big picture view:
The case drew widespread attention because of Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell’s links to royals, presidents and billionaires.
Trump’s ties to Epstein have been well-documented, though he said they had a falling-out two decades ago. He has said he kicked the financier out of his private club in Florida after Epstein betrayed him more than once by hiring people who had worked for him.
The president has not been accused of misconduct in connection with their social relationship.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Trump denies Epstein birthday card
Trump has offered testy reactions in the past when he gets asked about the so-called Epstein files. He turned against his own “Make America Great Again” base, calling some of them “weaklings” for continuing to demand the release of information related to Epstein’s case.
What’s next:
The committee subpoenaed the Epstein estate for documents last month. In addition to the birthday book, lawmakers requested Epstein’s last will and testament, agreements he signed with prosecutors, his contact books, and his financial transactions and holdings.
The Wall Street Journal shares common ownership with Fox. Fox has not independently confirmed the truth of the Wall Street Journal’s reporting.
The Source: Information for this story is based on a document released by the House Oversight Committee, which was obtained from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate. It also includes statements from President Donald Trump, and references a previous report on the letter by The Wall Street Journal. The Associated Press contributed.
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