US President Donald Trump (AP)
Democratic lawmakers on the US house oversight committee on Monday published a lewd note allegedly written by Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, reigniting questions about the president’s past ties to the disgraced financier.The message, delivered by Epstein’s estate, was released on social media as part of the committee’s probe into how authorities handled Epstein’s criminal investigation. The note appears on the outline of a nude woman and was allegedly included in a book of letters from Epstein’s friends, compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for his fiftieth birthday.It contains a short dialogue between “Donald” and “Jeffrey,” ending with the line, “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump’s signature appears on the sketch.The White House quickly pushed back. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire “Birthday Card” story is false. As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.””This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!” she added. Trump has repeatedly denied ever sending the message. He even filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal after it first reported on the note, insisting that he had never written it.Epstein, a wealthy financier with powerful global connections, was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking of underage girls recruited to provide him with sexual massages.Trump’s supporters have long claimed that “deep state” elites in the Democratic Party and Hollywood were being shielded from scrutiny in the Epstein case. But many were outraged when the FBI and Justice Department concluded in July that Epstein had died by suicide, had no client list, and did not blackmail prominent figures.
