US lawmakers have launched a duplicate of a “birthday e-book” given to the late convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, which features a observe allegedly signed by US President Donald Trump.
The e-book was launched with a trove of paperwork that embrace Epstein’s will and his private handle e-book – with contacts that embrace royalty, celebrities, fashions and politicians from world wide.
Attorneys for Epstein’s property despatched paperwork to the Home Oversight Committee after being subpoenaed final month.
The White Home denied the alleged letter from Trump, which featured a drawing of a lady’s physique, was genuine and stated the president “didn’t draw this image, and he didn’t signal it”.
The congressional committee final month issued a authorized summons for the executors of Epstein’s property to provide quite a few paperwork, together with the birthday e-book.
The discharge comes because the president faces rising stress, together with from his personal supporters and inside his personal Republican Get together, for extra transparency on what investigations into Epstein uncovered.
Trump stated whereas campaigning for the 2024 election that he could be open to creating public extra info however he then modified his place after assuming energy, saying the case was closed.
Victims of Epstein final week added to the clamour by describing the abuse they suffered and calling for the discharge of the so-called Epstein information.
The 238-page e-book additionally incorporates a birthday message from Lord Peter Mandelson, the British Ambassador to america, by which he calls Epstein “my greatest pal”.
A spokesman for Lord Mandelson informed the BBC that he had lengthy been clear that he very a lot regretted having been launched to Epstein.
The e-book was put collectively for Epstein’s fiftieth birthday by Ghislaine Maxwell, his British co-conspirator and ex-girlfriend who was convicted in 2021 of conspiring with him to site visitors ladies for intercourse. It was created in 2003 – three years earlier than allegations of intercourse abuse by Epstein grew to become public.
The scrapbook, titled “The primary fifty years”, incorporates submissions, apparently from numerous folks related to Epstein, together with high-profile politicians and enterprise leaders.
In addition to the alleged observe from Trump, who was his buddy on the time, there may be one other which seems to be from former President Invoice Clinton, which mentions Epstein’s “childlike curiosity”.
A spokesperson for Clinton has acknowledged that he was acquainted with Epstein on the time however knew nothing of his crimes.
The BBC has contacted the Clinton Basis and a lawyer for the previous president for touch upon the newly launched e-book.
Prince Andrew is briefly talked about within the e-book. A observe from an unidentified lady says she met Prince Andrew, Clinton and Trump by means of Epstein, in addition to quite a few celebrities.
The lady goes on to say she has “seen the non-public quarters of Buckingham Palace” and “sat on the Queen of England’s throne”. Prince Andrew confronted allegations as a part of the Epstein saga and has denied any wrongdoing.
When the alleged Trump observe was first reported by the Wall Avenue Journal in July, the president stated it was “a pretend factor” and denied writing it. He filed a lawsuit towards the paper’s reporters, writer and executives, together with Information Corp’s proprietor Rupert Murdoch, in search of $10bn (£7.4bn) in damages.
Democratic lawmakers revealed a picture of the birthday observe on X forward of the committee’s launch of the e-book and different Epstein paperwork.
The signed observe allegedly from Trump options a number of traces of textual content in an imagined dialog between him and Epstein, with the ultimate line studying: “Blissful Birthday – and will day-after-day be one other great secret.”
Trump has not commented on the observe’s launch, although the White Home denied on Monday that the president produced something for the e-book and stated the signature on the observe didn’t match Trump’s.
Robert Garcia, the rating Democrat on the Republican-led Home Oversight panel, stated Trump had “claimed that his birthday observe did not exist”.
“Now we all know that Donald Trump was mendacity and is doing the whole lot he can to cowl up the reality.”
In a press release, Republican committee chairman James Comer accused Democrats on the panel of “cherry-picking paperwork and politicizing info” they obtained from the property.
“Oversight Committee Republicans are centered on working an intensive investigation to deliver transparency and accountability for survivors of Epstein’s heinous crimes and the American folks,” he stated.
Together with the e-book, lawmakers additionally launched a 2007 non-prosecution settlement between Epstein and federal prosecutors on the US Lawyer’s Workplace for the Southern District of Florida, and nearly 30 years of entries in his private handle e-book.
After Democrats launched the observe on Monday, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated “President Trump’s authorized group will proceed to aggressively pursue litigation” towards the Wall Avenue Journal.
Trump and Epstein have been pleasant for years, however the president has stated he fell out with him within the early 2000s after the financier poached workers from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Epstein was first criminally indicted in 2006 in Florida on a state felony cost of solicitation of prostitution. He died in jail in 2019 whereas awaiting trial on different costs.
