In a startling release of documents tied to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, U.S. lawmakers have unveiled a “birthday book” from 2003, which includes a note allegedly signed by former President Donald Trump. The book, The First Fifty Years, was compiled for Epstein’s milestone birthday by his British ex-girlfriend and co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell—years before Epstein’s sex abuse scandal came to light.
The House Oversight Committee obtained the book as part of a subpoena targeting Epstein’s estate, which also yielded a trove of materials: Epstein’s will, a personal address book spanning decades, and correspondence connecting him to royalty, politicians, celebrities, and models.
Within the 238-page scrapbook, a note attributed to Trump depicts a woman’s body alongside the message: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.” The White House swiftly denied the note’s authenticity, stating the former president “did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.”
Other entries paint a revealing portrait of Epstein’s social reach. Former President Bill Clinton remarked on Epstein’s “childlike curiosity,” while Lord Peter Mandelson, a former British ambassador, called him “my best pal.” Prince Andrew appears in passing, alongside an unidentified woman who claims to have met Clinton, Trump, and the prince through Epstein—and even glimpsed Buckingham Palace’s private quarters.
The release has stirred a political and legal tempest. Democrats contend it undermines Trump’s earlier denials about contributing to the book. Robert Garcia, a ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committee, accused Trump of attempting to obscure the truth, arguing that he “claimed that his birthday note didn’t exist.”
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Republicans, meanwhile, have accused their counterparts of selectively presenting documents to score political points. Committee chairman James Comer emphasized the GOP’s mission to ensure transparency and accountability for Epstein’s survivors, framing the disclosures as a pursuit of justice rather than partisan gain.
The documents arrive alongside a 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and Florida prosecutors, as well as nearly 30 years of detailed address book entries, shedding further light on the breadth of Epstein’s connections.
Trump and Epstein were long-time acquaintances, though the former president has said their relationship cooled in the early 2000s, citing Epstein’s recruitment of Mar-a-Lago employees. Trump has also filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, calling reporting about the alleged note “fake.”
As the debate unfolds, the release of Epstein’s birthday book underscores the enduring fascination—and controversy—surrounding the financier’s complex web of social and political ties.