Donald Trump isn’t the only U.S. president to appear in a collection of birthday messages that were sent to Jeffrey Epstein.
An entry attributed to former President Bill Clinton is among some 50 greetings that appear in a 50th birthday book compiled for Epstein in 2003, years before the disgraced New York financier faced charges related to sexual exploitation of underage girls. Other notes appear to come from Epstein’s relatives, including his father, and from business executives and scientists.
Some of the entries in the collection, which was released by a House committee on Monday, are strictly well wishes, congratulations and benign birthday messages. Others are crude or sexually explicit, reminiscing about supposed past exploits or referencing Epstein’s focus on meeting women. It includes photos of Epstein, sometimes wearing little or nothing, as well as friends and associates.
Trump, who has denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago, says he did not write a sexually suggestive letter to Epstein or create the drawing of a curvaceous woman that surrounds the letter. The letter bears Trump’s name and what appears to be his signature.
Bill Clinton
A message attributed to Clinton, which appears to match his handwriting and signature, praises Epstein’s “childlike curiosity.”
“It’s reassuring isn’t it, to have lasted so long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and (illegible), and still to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends,” Clinton wrote.
The message, which is difficult to read, is written in cursive in black marker on a white sheet of paper.
Clinton’s office did not respond to a request for comment. His office has previously said he knew nothing about Epstein’s crimes and traveled with him for humanitarian trips.
Alan Dershowitz
A noted law professor who has represented both Trump and Epstein, Dershowitz joked that he had convinced Vanity Fair magazine to change the focus of an upcoming article from Epstein to Clinton.
He mocked up a fictional excerpt of an article with the headline “Who Was That Man With Epstein?”
“What was he doing flying to Africa with an obscure former politician from Hope, Arkansas? Who is that politician and why would Epstein have picked him for the coveted seat on his private jet. Vanity Unfair was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery man and to reveal the story behind the story,” Dershowitz wrote, changing the magazine’s name.
