White House Declines to Dispute Authenticity of Trump Birthday Letter Linked to Epstein
WASHINGTON – The White House stopped short of definitively calling a newly released letter purportedly from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein a fake, as the fallout from the Epstein estate document dump continues to fracture Congress. The letter, revealed by a committee release of Epstein estate materials, features a drawing of a naked woman’s body framing a typed note signed with what appears to be Trump’s signature and concludes with the phrase: “Happy Birthday-and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
While Trump has repeatedly denied writing the letter and has sued The Wall Street Journal for defamation over its initial reporting on the document,White House Communications Aide Karoline Leavitt declined to comment on the letter’s authenticity when questioned by reporters.Leavitt stated she had “no meetings…to read out” regarding a potential meeting between Trump and Epstein’s victims.
The release of the materials has sparked a partisan divide. Democrats have highlighted the letter as evidence that Trump has not been transparent about his relationship with Epstein. Republicans,however,have largely downplayed the revelations. Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) accused Democrats of ”cherry-picking” from the files, while Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) dismissed the letter as irrelevant, stating, “It doesn’t prove anything. having a birthday card from Trump doesn’t help the survivors and the victims.”
Leavitt further accused Democrats of “pretending to care about victims of crime” and attempting “to concoct a hoax to smear the President of the United States.” this messaging aligns with Trump’s own characterization of the situation, where he previously labeled the story a “hoax” perpetrated by Democrats and “foolish republicans.”
Following the letter’s public release on Monday, Taylor Budowich, a former White House communications aide, circulated examples of Trump’s signature on social media, arguing the handwriting in the birthday letter is inconsistent.The release of these documents comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Trump’s past associations with Epstein, who was convicted of sex trafficking offenses and died by suicide in jail in 2019. The Justice Department is currently facing bipartisan pressure, led by Rep. Massie,to release all remaining records related to Epstein.
