The House Oversight Committee on Monday released a much-discussed, leather-bound book compiled by Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-girlfriend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, providing new insight into the disgraced financier’s social circles before he faced charges related to sex trafficking minors,
The book, part of a trove of documents that the House panel received through a subpoena of Epstein’s estate, includes notes to Epstein that appear to be from several high-profile people including President Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
The White House has denied that Trump penned the message with his signature, and Trump has long maintained that he had a falling out with Epstein years before Epstein’s sex crimes became public knowledge.
Epstein died in federal prison while awaiting trial in 2019, and Maxwell is serving 20 years behind bars for aiding Epstein’s sex trafficking crimes.
“The idea behind this book was simply to gather stories and old photographs to jog your memory about place, people and different events,” Maxwell wrote in the book’s introduction. “Some of the letters will definitely achieve their intended goal — some well … you will have to read them to see for yourself.”
“I know you will enjoy looking through the book and I hope you will derive as much pleasure looking through it, as I did putting it together for you,” she added.
What’s in the book?
The book contains photos of Epstein through the years, including childhood photos, multiple yearbook pictures, candid images and photos of Epstein posing shirtless and in speedos.
Mixed in were pages of sheet music, drawings, photos of scantily clad women and pictures of mating lions and zebras. The animal photos were attributed to a letter from billionaire Nathan Myhrvold.
An unsigned, hand-drawn illustration appears to depict Epstein giving balloons to little girls in 1983 in one panel. The following panel, labeled 2003, shows Epstein receiving a massage from young women in thong bikinis. “What a great country!” it reads.
The book also contains a mix of hand-written and typed notes from about 50 people who knew him through the years.
Many of the notes mentioned how persistent Maxwell was in collecting the messages from people and that she urged them to make their words humorous.
Some of the messages were benign: A former school principal wrote that he was surprised to get the request to write something. Others were raunchier: A short message attributed to the billionaire Les Wexner said he wanted to get Epstein what he “really wanted … so here it is” along with a sketch that appeared to be of a woman’s breasts.
An image that has gained attention online shows Epstein holding a giant fake check with the caption, “Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500.”
Who’s who?
It’s well documented that Epstein traveled in elite social circles in New York City and elsewhere.
He made his fortune through financial management of wealthy clients including Wexner, who was a co-founder of the retailer previously known as Limited Brands.
He was a longtime friend of then-businessman Trump before the two parted ways in a dispute and Trump banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. in the early 2000s.
Clinton and Trump’s signatures both appear in the 2003 birthday book with short personal messages.
The hand-written note attributed to Clinton marveled at Epstein’s “childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference, and the [illegible] of friends” at his age.
Others in the book included famed attorney Alan Dershowitz, British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson, billionaire investor Leon Black and former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell (D-Maine).
The note attributed to Dershowitz included a mock magazine cover titled “Vanity Unfair,” and he joked that he had the magazine’s editors switch the focus of the article from Epstein to Clinton.
Mandelson referred to Epstein as his “best pal” in the 10-page note attributed to him, which included several vacation photos.
Mitchell, who Clinton appointed to be a special envoy to Northern Ireland in 1995, wrote that one of Epstein’s “blessings has been the opportunity to lead a full, exciting, and fantastically varied life.”
All female names and faces have been redacted in the released document, except for Maxwell’s and that of Epstein’s mother Paula Stolofsky, who died in 2004.
The Wall Street Journal reported that one of the letters filed under “girlfriends” with its author’s name redacted was penned by fashion designer Vera Wang, who told the outlet that she regretted associating with Epstein.
The redacted names, which were removed to protect potential victims, mostly appeared in sections categorized as girlfriends, ex-girlfriends and special assistants. A section labeled “children” also included multiple redacted names, though Epstein had no known children of his own.
Who drew that?
The message in the book that has generated the most interest is a short, typed note attributed to Trump that appeared as a scripted conversation between the two men. It is outlined with a drawing that appears to be a silhouette of a naked woman with breasts.
Trump, who has repeatedly denied penning the note, would not comment on it when reached by NBC News on Tuesday.
“I don’t comment on something that’s a dead issue,” Trump the outlet in a brief phone call Tuesday morning. “I gave all comments to the staff. It’s a dead issue.”
The typed dialogue between “Jeffrey” and “Donald” in the book references the two having “certain things in common.”
“A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — may every day be another wonderful secret,” it reads.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on the social platform X on Monday that the “‘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,” she wrote. “President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported in July the existence of the book and the letter it contained attributed to Trump. Trump denied writing the letter and sued the outlet.
The Journal on Monday released a “visual breakdown” of the note attributed to Trump, comparing the signature on the note to Trump’s first name mark from contemporary documents.
It also compared the line drawing of a woman outlining the note to previous drawings that have been attributed to Trump through the years.
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