Politicians, businessmen, lecturers, showbusiness stars… Jeffrey Epstein liked gathering distinguished males as associates and revelling of their approval.
So when it got here to his fiftieth birthday in 2003, his long-time pal and sidekick Ghislaine Maxwell knew that nothing would please him extra as a gift than a tribute to those connections – to remind the multi-millionaire son of a park groundsman from working-class Coney Island simply how far he’d come.
Maxwell, an Oxford-educated socialite, requested dozens of Epstein’s associates and associates to contribute letters and notes about him to enter a leather-bound album.
They usually had been solely too blissful to oblige. This, in any case, was nonetheless three years earlier than his arrest for sexually abusing underage women in his Palm Seashore mansion and the reality about his sordid criminality was but to emerge.
This e-book, whose existence has beforehand by no means been disclosed – though it’s reportedly within the fingers of the US Division of Justice – has now been seen by the Wall Road Journal.
And in accordance with the newspaper, it accommodates one explicit entry that has despatched shockwaves throughout the US and prompted livid threats of a lawsuit from the Oval Workplace. A letter bearing Donald Trump‘s identify was included within the tome. Like others, it was ‘bawdy’, the Journal stated.
This letter, which the newspaper didn’t publish however solely described, was stated to include ‘a number of traces of typewritten textual content framed by the define of a unadorned lady, which seems to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker’.
In keeping with the WSJ: ‘A pair of small arcs denotes the girl’s breasts, and the long run president’s signature is a squiggly “Donald” beneath her waist, mimicking pubic hair.’
President Donald Trump (proper) has been accused of sending Jeffrey Epstein (left) a ‘bawdy’ letter containing ‘a number of traces of typewritten textual content framed by the define of a unadorned lady, which seems to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker’
Ghislaine Maxwell (above) had requested dozens of Epstein’s associates and associates to contribute letters and notes about him to enter a leather-bound album for his fiftieth birthday
Stress has ramped up in latest weeks calling for the discharge of the so-called ‘Epstein information’ (Pictured: individuals holding up indicators in Texas on July 17)
The letter – which ends ‘Pleased Birthday – and should each day be one other great secret’ – is an imaginary dialog between Trump and Epstein. It is a unusual, very cryptic change which, given the storm it is brought about, is value reporting in full
It begins: ‘Voice Over: There have to be extra to life than having every part.
Donald: Sure, there’s, however I will not inform you what it’s.
Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I additionally know what it’s.
Donald: Now we have sure issues in widespread, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Sure, we do, come to think about it.
Donald: Enigmas by no means age, have you ever seen that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of truth, it was clear to me the final time I noticed you.
Donald: A pal is a superb factor. Pleased Birthday – and should each day be one other great secret.’
Trump has denied writing the birthday letter or drawing the image and has stated he’ll sue the Journal for ignoring his calls for to not publish the story, which he described as ‘false, malicious, and defamatory‘.
He advised the newspaper: ‘This isn’t me. This can be a faux factor. It is a faux Wall Road Journal story.
‘I by no means wrote an image in my life. I do not draw photos of ladies. It is not my language. It is not my phrases.’
Yesterday, the President upped the ante in attribute type, stating on social media that he deliberate to sue Rupert Murdoch, proprietor of the Journal.
Yesterday, the President (proper) upped the ante in attribute type, stating on social media that he deliberate to sue Rupert Murdoch (left), proprietor of the Wall Road Journal
‘I look ahead to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit towards him and his “pile of rubbish” newspaper,’ Trump wrote on his Fact Social platform. ‘That might be an attention-grabbing expertise!!!’
The President’s declare that he does not draw was disputed yesterday by those that provided sketches he’d finished of skyscrapers and recalled him writing of his ‘new expertise’ of drawing in his 2008 e-book, How I Turned My Greatest Challenges Into Success.
He have to be hoping that the scepticism ends there.
In the meantime, the lewd birthday greeting and the suggestion that the 2 males shared a ‘secret’, could not have surfaced at a worse second for the US President, who has spent latest days combating off accusations from his personal supporters that his authorities is concerned in an enormous cover-up over the Epstein scandal.
Trump has known as them ‘silly’ and accused them of being dupes of a Democrat-spun ‘hoax’ to undermine him.
However he and a few of his cronies – together with, satirically, two who are actually operating the FBI – have solely themselves in charge for this MAGA backlash as they’ve themselves lengthy inspired hypothesis a couple of conspiracy to guard the identities of highly effective males who had been provided with women by Epstein.
Trump pledged in his 2024 election marketing campaign to declassify Epstein information, together with a much-anticipated ‘listing’ of shoppers of the financier’s sex-trafficking ring.
Nonetheless, the Trump administration has now claimed that no such proof exists.
‘I look ahead to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit towards him and his “pile of rubbish” newspaper,’ Trump wrote on his Fact Social platform (Image: Murdoch embracing Trump in 2017)
Trump (above) pledged in his 2024 election marketing campaign to declassify the Epstein information, together with a much-anticipated ‘listing’ of shoppers of the financier’s sex-trafficking ring
Trump has lengthy tried to minimize the extent of his affiliation with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 whereas awaiting a sex-trafficking trial (Pictured: Trump and Epstein collectively within the early 2000s)
The Division of Justice and FBI launched a joint evaluate on Thursday concluding that Epstein had ‘no incriminating shopper listing’ that might implicate high-profile associates.
Though the Wall Road Journal reported that it was unclear whether or not his fiftieth birthday album was among the many Epstein proof not too long ago reviewed by the Justice Division and FBI, some will inevitably be speculating that if anybody’s been masking up over Epstein, it is the present President.
Trump has now backtracked and stated he had requested Pam Bondi, his attorney-general, to launch the grand jury testimony on Epstein.
No matter this would possibly disclose, the alleged birthday word has shifted the main focus again on the Trump-Epstein relationship little greater than a month after Elon Musk astonishingly claimed that his former shut pal and ally was ‘within the Epstein information’, stating that was ‘the true cause they haven’t been made public‘.
Trump has lengthy tried to minimize the extent of his affiliation with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 whereas awaiting a sex-trafficking trial.
Nonetheless, it is no secret they had been associates once they moved in the identical moneyed social circles in Palm Seashore, Florida, from the late Nineteen Eighties till 2004 (only a 12 months after the birthday greetings message) once they reportedly fell out over a property they each wished to purchase.
They attended quite a few events collectively and it is claimed that in 1992, Trump organized for a ‘calendar lady’ competitors for ‘VIP company’ to be held at his Palm Seashore house, Mar-a-Lago, the place he and Epstein had been the one two males watching the 28 glamorous contestants.
Trump’s identify appeared seven occasions within the passenger logs of Epstein’s personal jets. Actually, Epstein was recorded boasting to biographer Michael Wolff that the primary time Trump slept along with his future spouse Melania ‘was on my airplane’.
Trump has stated he had requested Pam Bondi (proper), his attorney-general, to launch the grand jury testimony on Epstein
Wolff additionally claimed that Trump and Epstein challenged one another as to who might be the primary to sleep with Princess Diana.
Final month, the creator stated he’d seen pictures of Trump and Epstein within the firm of topless women.
It is a matter of file that Trump was sufficiently acquainted with Epstein to find out about his choice for ‘youthful’ girls. In 2002, he was quoted in {a magazine} article in regards to the mysterious financier as saying: ‘I’ve identified Jeff for 15 years. Terrific man.
‘He is lots of enjoyable to be with. It’s even stated he likes stunning girls as a lot as I do, and lots of of them are on the youthful aspect.’
These days, Trump remembers Epstein as a ‘creep’ of whom ‘I wasn’t a fan’, however he is hardly the one one who has spent the years since Epstein’s demise doing his degree greatest to distance himself from the paedophile predator.
Who else could be embarrassed by the complete contents of Epstein’s fiftieth birthday album being made public? Other than mentioning an unnamed however now deceased Harvard College economist, the Wall Road Journal names solely two others who submitted letters: billionaire trend retailer Les Wexner and lawyer Alan Dershowitz. Each have been linked to Epstein for years.
Wexner, the previous chief govt of lingerie firm Victoria’s Secret, employed Epstein to handle his cash for 20 years till 2007. They’d a detailed however puzzling relationship by which Epstein obtained his mansion house in New York, a non-public airplane and a property in Ohio – altogether value $100 million – from Wexner.
Wexner has since claimed he ‘severed all ties with Epstein in 2007 and by no means spoke with him once more’. Nonetheless, in accordance with the Journal, simply 4 years earlier, Wexner wrote a brief birthday message to Epstein: ‘I wished to get you what you need… so right here it’s…’ After the textual content was a line drawing of what gave the impression to be a girl’s breasts. Wexner declined to remark to the newspaper.
Biographer Michael Wolff claims that Trump and Epstein challenged one another as to who might be the primary to sleep with Princess Diana (above)
The Wall Road Journal named solely two others who submitted letters to Epstein: billionaire trend retailer Les Wexner (left) and lawyer Alan Dershowitz (proper)
Dershowitz, a celebrated Harvard authorized skilled, was one among Epstein’s extremely paid defence attorneys and was additionally a part of the workforce that defended Trump from 2020 impeachment costs. He was concerned in a long-running authorized battle with Virginia Giuffre, an accuser of each Epstein and Prince Andrew, over allegations he engaged in sexual misconduct. Ms Giuffre later stated she had misidentified the lawyer.
Dershowitz’s contribution to the birthday album was a mock-up web page of {a magazine} titled ‘Self-importance Unfair’ containing headlines comparable to ‘Who was Jack the Ripper? Was it Jeffrey Epstein?’. Dershowitz ‘joked that he had satisfied the journal to alter the main focus of an article from Epstein to Invoice Clinton’, the Journal stated. He advised the newspaper: ‘It has been a very long time and I do not recall the content material of what I’ll have written.’
Different contributors to the birthday album despatched poems, pictures and ‘greetings’, and the senders included ‘businesspeople, lecturers, Epstein’s former girlfriends and childhood buddies’, it is claimed.
On condition that lots of Epstein’s associates – together with Prince Andrew – continued to affiliate with him even after he was convicted of procuring a toddler for prostitution in 2009, the probabilities of who may need despatched birthday greetings earlier than he was ever engulfed in scandal are virtually infinite.
Most of the girls who accused Epstein of abusing them have since testified how he used the respectability of lots of his contacts to lure them into his net.
Essentially the most well-known amongst his associates included Invoice Clinton, Microsoft founder Invoice Gates, filmmaker Woody Allen and music famous person Michael Jackson. Joanna Sjoberg, one among Prince Andrew’s accusers, testified that Epstein had advised her Clinton ‘likes them younger, referring to ladies’.
Most of the girls who accused Epstein of abusing them have since testified how he used the respectability of lots of his contacts to lure them into his net
Nonetheless, Epstein – a former maths instructor who insiders say thought-about himself an mental – did not simply court docket celebrities but in addition scientists and lecturers whose analysis he typically financed.
‘As some acquire butterflies, he collects stunning minds,’ gushed a US journal profile of Epstein in 2002.
He even knew Professor Stephen Hawking, the illustrious British physicist, who was virtually fully paralysed for greater than 40 years by motor neurone illness.
Prof Hawking died in 2018 however others who had far nearer associations with Epstein are very a lot nonetheless alive.
When sweet-talking Ghislaine Maxwell got here in search of gushing tributes to expensive Jeffrey on the peak of his energy and affect in 2003, who may presumably have refused?
Donald Trump can’t be the one one now anxiously hoping that curious People will transfer on once more from the Epstein scandal.
