Trump calls release of suggestive note to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein a ‘dead issue’

Donald Trump has described as a “dead issue” the release of the convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s tome of often highly sexualized 50th birthday messages that includes a suggestive note apparently penned by Trump.

The letter, which has been reported before but on Monday was released by Democrats on the House oversight committee after receiving it from the Epstein estate, shows the outline of a woman’s body around an imagined conversation between Epstein and Trump. It is signed “Donald” in between the silhoutte’s legs.

Trump and Epstein were close friends for the better part of 15 years until falling out over a real estate deal.

Trump called the letter “fake” and filed a $10bn defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the existence of the document.

The birthday book also contained well wishes from Bill Clinton, the lawyer Alan Dershowitz and the politician Peter Mandelson, now the UK’s ambassador to the US, who called Epstein “my best pal” and is shown wearing a bathrobe alongside Epstein in one photograph.

Epstein died in federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

House oversight commitee Democrats posted the Trump illustration across social media.

“We got the Epstein note Trump says doesn’t exist,” ranking member Robert Garcia wrote. “Time to end this White House cover-up.”

The 238-page collection of photos, yearbook pages, song sheets and other mementos was apparently compiled by Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and was made public by the panel alongside hundreds of pages from Epstein’s estate. A redacted version had previously been published.

An attorney representing the Epstein estate told CNN that additional estate records are on the way to the House committee “on a rolling basis” in response to the subpoena.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, dismissed the allegations as false, while James Comer, the Republican committee chair, said the focus should remain on “bringing transparency and accountability for survivors” rather than political point-scoring.

But survivors have slammed the Trump administration’s promise to investigate Epstein further, with nine attorneys telling the Guardian they have not even been contacted by the justice department, suggesting it is merely interested in “whitewashing” previous investigations.

The document release comes as bipartisan lawmakers and survivor advocates push for greater disclosure of Epstein’s network ahead of an afternoon White House press conference on Tuesday.

Maga influencers largely dismissed the release of the birthday book, claiming Trump’s signature in it is a forgery, despite what other publications have noted is the clear resemblance to Trump’s signature at the time.

Trump has repeatedly dismissed concerns about the wider collection of Epstein files, referring to it in general terms as a “Democrat hoax” despite having campaigned in 2024 on releasing the same Epstein files. After he took office in January, Trump’s department of justice declared that no “client list” linking powerful individuals to Epstein’s crimes existed.