Topline
Lawmakers could soon get President Donald Trump’s alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein, if it exists, as an attorney for Epstein’s victims told MSNBC on Wednesday that Epstein’s estate is in possession of the book of birthday letters and would comply with a subpoena to turn them over—and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., suggested such a subpoena will be filed.
Jeffrey Epstein (left) and now-President Donald Trump in 1997 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm ... More
The Wall Street Journal reported last week Trump wrote a “bawdy” letter to Epstein as part of a birthday book of letters for the financier’s 50th birthday, which allegedly included a drawing of a naked woman and Trump telling Epstein, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
The reported letter has become a major point of contention, with Trump strongly denying that it exists and bringing a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Journal for reporting that it does.
Attorney Bradley Edwards, who represents some of Epstein’s victims, told MSNBC on Wednesday that the existence of the birthday book “is an absolute fact” and some of his clients were directed by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell to help assemble it, though he could not confirm if Trump wrote one of the letters.
Epstein’s estate is still in possession of the birthday book, Edwards said, and he believes they would likely comply with a subpoena for it, telling MSNBC, “If someone simply called them on the phone and said, ‘Give us the book,’ they would probably give you the book.”
Khanna, who appeared on MSNBC right after Edwards, suggested the House Oversight Committee “can easily move forward” on subpoenaing the book, telling anchor Lawrence O’Donnell that would likely be the “cleanest way forward” to get Epstein documents, versus hoping the Justice Department will turn materials over.
Darren Indyke, the attorney in charge of Epstein’s estate, has not yet responded to a request for comment.
The lawyers handling Epstein’s estate “would turn the book over immediately. No one would have to guess … You could flip to the page, ‘Is there a letter, is there not a letter.’ It’s over, the victims would get to move on,” Edwards told MSNBC. “We could solve this problem so quickly if people actually want to solve problems.”
Maxwell gathered letters from “dozens” of Epstein’s associates for the financier’s 50th birthday in 2003 and compiled them into a “leather-bound album,” according to the Journal. Epstein’s friends wrote “bawdy” letters to him for the book, the Journal reports, with lawyer Alan Dershowitz and billionaire Les Wexner reportedly among those who contributed letters. Trump’s alleged letter reportedly included the following fictional exchange between Trump and Epstein:
“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything.
Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.
Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
The Journal did not print the letter in full, and Trump has strongly denied that it exists, claiming he “never wrote a picture.”
Edwards’ comments came after the House Oversight Committee separately voted Wednesday night to subpoena the Justice Department for its files on Epstein. Khanna noted on MSNBC that the subpoena is likely to be difficult to actually enforce, however, given the DOJ is unlikely to comply with it, and would not take any legal action against itself for not complying. The committee has also subpoenaed Maxwell for testimony about Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.
The Journal’s report on Trump’s letter to Epstein came as a bombshell as controversy had already been intensifying over the president’s relationship with the late financier. The DOJ’s recent decision this month not to release further Epstein files has provoked a widespread backlash from even the president’s own supporters, as it came after DOJ officials had repeatedly said they would release the documents. Trump allies including DOJ officials like FBI Director Kash Patel had pushed conspiracy theories tied to the Epstein files for years—such as the existence of an Epstein “client list”—sparking outrage when those same officials later reversed course and said no such conspiracies exist. The uproar has led to increased scrutiny of Trump’s friendship with Epstein, as the president is well-documented to have been friends with the late financier in the 1990s and early 2000s before a falling out in 2004. Trump has never been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 after being accused of sexually abusing hundreds of women, many of whom were underage. The Journal later reported Wednesday that DOJ officials told Trump his name appeared in the Epstein files, though he has still not been accused of participating in any of the financier’s alleged crimes.