Stuart LauBBC News and
Sarah SmithNorth America editor
US Department of Justice/PAA US congressional panel has released a redacted copy of an alleged “birthday book” given to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 celebrating his fiftieth birthday.
The book was released with a trove of documents that include the late convicted paedophile financier’s will and his personal address book – with contacts that include royalty, politicians across the globe, celebrities and models.
The 238-page book contains messages and photos sent by many of Epstein’s friends, including a letter carrying a signature resembling US President Donald Trump’s. Trump has denied ever writing the birthday note.
Epstein, a well-connected financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead by suicide in 2019 while awaiting a trial for sex trafficking.
What was released and why now?
The House Oversight Committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein’s estate to produce a number of documents, including a birthday book which contains the note purportedly from Trump.
Lawyers for the estate sent documents to the committee afterwards.
On Monday, the committee released the alleged birthday book as well as Epstein’s will, entries from his contact books containing addresses from 1990 to 2019, and a non-prosecution agreement signed by him.
How did we get here?
The Trump administration has been grappling with growing calls for the so-called “Epstein files” to be released in their entirety – including from Trump’s Make America Great Again (Maga) base.
Reports emerged that the president was told in May by his attorney general that his name appeared in files related to the investigations into Epstein.
The pair were friends in the 1990s and early 2000s. Being named is not evidence of any criminal activity, nor has Trump ever been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein matter.
Trump had said during the 2024 election that he would be open to making more information public, and his campaign leaned into a belief popular among some Maga supporters that key truths about Epstein’s life and death were being hidden.
But he changed his position in July. The Department of Justice and FBI said in a memo that no more material would be released, while Trump said the case was closed and criticised his own supporters who had continued to press him on it.
Some of his conservative supporters had already voiced frustration with his administration’s handling of disclosures regarding the Epstein files, particularly after Attorney General Pam Bondi released documents that had already been available publicly.
Bipartisan pressure for more transparency persisted. In late July, the Republican House announced an early recess for the chamber, stalling efforts to force the release of Epstein-related documents within 30 days.
What did Trump allegedly write?
ReutersThe alleged entry from Trump contains a signed note outlined by a sketch of a woman’s body.
The final line reads: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
This matches descriptions by the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the letter in July.
The note features what appears to be an imagined conversation between Trump and Epstein, where they agree there is “more to life than having everything” and that they “have certain things in common”.
Trump has not commented on the note’s release, though the White House has denied he produced anything for the book and said the signature on the note did not match Trump’s.
The White House said the president “did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it”.
Who else was named in the ‘birthday book’?
Entries from 40 people, divided into several categories such as “friends”, “business”, “science” and “Brooklyn”, were published, though the names under “family” and “girl friends” were redacted.
These people are not accused of any legal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s case.
The document contained a message which appears to have been written by former US President Bill Clinton. The author wrote about Epstein’s “childlike curiosity” and a “drive to make a difference”.
Clinton’s office has not responded to a BBC request for comment.
The entry by Lord Peter Mandelson, currently the UK ambassador to the US, calls Epstein “my best pal” and includes several photographs.
Alongside one picture of Lord Mandelson with two women, whose faces are obscured, he writes about meeting Epstein’s interesting – in inverted commas – friends.
An official spokesperson for Lord Mandelson has told the BBC that he “has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein,” adding: “This connection has been a matter of public record for some time.”
There isn’t a letter from Prince Andrew. But an entry from an unidentified woman says that thanks to Epstein she had met the Prince, Bill Clinton and Trump.
The woman goes on to say she has “seen the private quarters of Buckingham Palace” and “sat on the Queen of England’s throne.” Prince Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing.
What are the other entries about?
There’s a wide range of content from people from all walks of life – from occupants of the White House to women working as masseuses.
An unidentified woman recalled how she was a 22-year-old restaurant hostess until she met Epstein, after which she travelled the world and met many notable people including royals.
There were also photos of Epstein throughout the years – from his private jet to a random Asian medicine shop, and him embracing women whose faces were redacted.
Others sent him photos, some containing lewd scenes featuring wild animals from a safari including zebras and lions.
The book begins with an introduction by Ghislaine Maxwell – Epstein’s British co-conspirator and ex-girlfriend, who was convicted in 2021 of conspiring with Epstein to traffic girls for sex. She wrote that she hoped Epstein got “as much pleasure looking through” the book as she did putting it together.
It also includes a hand-written note from Epstein’s mother, who recalled his childhood as an “excellent” student before praising his “achievements” as an adult, including his limousines and magazine features about him.
What has the reaction been?
The release came with a note from the House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, criticising Democratic committee members.
Comer said the Democrats were “cherry-picking documents and politicizing information received from the Epstein Estate”.
Vice-President JD Vance accused the Democrats of “concocting another fake scandal” designed to “smear President Trump with lies”.
The committee’s top Democrat said it was “time to end this White House cover-up”.
Congressman Robert Garcia wrote on X: “We got the Epstein note Trump says doesn’t exist.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett – who also sits on the committee – called for “full, unredacted Epstein files” to be released.
She added: “The survivors deserve justice, and the American people deserve the truth.”
