The House Oversight Committee, led by Republicans, has obtained documents from the Jeffrey Epstein estate, including the infamous "birthday book." This book allegedly contains a letter purportedly signed by former President Donald Trump for Epstein's 50th birthday celebration in 2003. The release of these documents has reignited a heated controversy surrounding the authenticity of the signature.
Ranking Democrat Representative Robert Garcia shared an image on X (formerly Twitter) that Democrats claim depicts Trump's signature on a page from the book. Trump vehemently denies writing the letter, calling it a "fake" and previously filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal for its report on the letter's existence. The Wall Street Journal, in turn, stands by its reporting, stating they have "full confidence in the rigor and accuracy" of their work.
The White House swiftly refuted the claims, with Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich posting on X, accusing News Corp of defamation and asserting the signature is not Trump's. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed these denials, promising continued legal action against the Wall Street Journal.
The committee's subpoena, issued in late August, requested various documents from the Epstein estate, including financial records, flight logs, and calendars, with a deadline of September 8th, 2025. This request followed earlier calls from Brad Edwards, an attorney representing numerous Epstein survivors, who urged lawmakers to subpoena the estate for the birthday book. Edwards criticized Trump's hypocrisy, noting the former president's call for the Epstein story to "go away" while simultaneously pursuing a massive defamation lawsuit. Edwards believes Trump should withdraw the lawsuit and apologize for attacking journalists who reported on the now-verified existence of the potentially incriminating letter.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former associate, mentioned in a recent interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that Epstein tasked her with coordinating contributions to the birthday book. However, she couldn't recall if Trump, then a private citizen, was among those who contributed. Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, continues to maintain her innocence.
The release of the documents follows the committee's previous release of tens of thousands of pages of Epstein-related documents, much of which was already in the public domain. The ongoing investigation continues to generate significant media attention and legal battles. The "birthday book" and its contents remain at the center of a complex legal and political storm.
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Originally published at: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gop-led-house-oversight-committee-expected-receive-epstein/story?id=125365100
