US Politics
Trump White House struggles to explain away latest Epstein bombshell
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Donald Trump’s comms team and legion of loyal defenders were back at work spinning the latest development in the Jeffrey Epstein case on Monday.
News broke late Monday afternoon that members of the House Oversight Committee had received a batch of files from the estate of Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019. Almost immediately, the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal and Democrats on the committee revealed that the batch contained the original copy of the so-called “birthday book” compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for her then boyfriend’s 50th birthday celebration — including a “bawdy” letter supposedly penned to Epstein by Trump.
The note purported to have been written by the then real-estate mogul imagines a conversation between Epstein and Trump, in which the two reminisce about a “wonderful secret” they supposedly share. It was first reported by the WSJ in July, prompting a furious denial by the White House and a $10bn lawsuit against the paper, its journalists and owner Rupert Murdoch. Originally, the White House claimed that the letter was “fake and nonexistent.”
On Monday, the White House’s explanation remained firm. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and other members of the Trump comms team declared that the signature on the letter was a forgery, though it bears an impeccable resemblance to other signatures verifiably made by the president over the years, including during his time in the White House.
“The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire “Birthday Card” story is false.
“As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it,” Leavitt wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.”
Taylor Budowich, another White House official, added: “Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it’s not his signature!”
But there was no explanation for why the Epstein estate would have forged Trump’s signature — and Maxwell herself has already validated the authenticity of the book itself, though she told the Justice Department she couldn’t remember whether she’d solicited a note from Trump for the birthday book. During an interview with Trump’s former lawyer, Todd Blanche, Maxwell said she was commissioned to create the book by Epstein himself.
The president’s $10bn lawsuit against Murdoch and the WSJ claims that “no authentic letter or drawing exists” while declaring that Murdoch “authorized the publication of the Article after President Trump put them both on notice that the letter was fake and nonexistent.”
JD Vance, the Vice President, seemed to suggest it didn’t exist: “Where is this letter?” he tweeted in July.
Democrats on the Oversight Committee are pledging to continue pushing for more documents from the Epstein estate and the Department of Justice. Survivors of Epstein’s sex crimes also met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill last week, and have asked for a meeting with Trump, further complicating the issue for a White House that wants to paint the issue as merely a partisan exercise.
On Monday, House Oversight Democrats took a victory lap and pledged to keep the pressure on all parties involved to see more documents and files released. Republicans on the committee, by comparison, did not mention the publication of the letter or the new batch of files received from the Epstein estate on social media at all.
“What’s amazing to me here is that this is happening with a Republican House and a Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee,” Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman commented.
Andrew Bates, a former comms staffer in the Biden White House who now owns a Democratic strategy firm, responded: “Yes, thanks to pressure brought by [ranking Democratic member] @RepRobertGarcia and [Oversight committee Democrats].”
Even a focus on other men linked to the late convicted sex offender and pedophile could be problematic for Trump, and Democrats on the Oversight committee have pledged to highlight any connections to Epstein’s crimes uncovered in their review of documents.
A continued trickle of Epstein-related news is likely the last thing the president wants, as he and his team have scolded reporters for a continued focus on what he describes as a “Democrat hoax”.
Few in Trump’s Maga base are likely to directly suspect the president of illegal activity without proof. The real issue, however, is the lethargy the issue could inflict upon younger members of the Trump-voting coalition who emerged in a big way in 2024 — but could be difficult to turn out again in 2028 and beyond for future Republican presidential runs if they view the Epstein issue as an area where Trump failed to deliver on promises.
Vance and others in the Trump coalition called on the Epstein files to be released by the administration were they to come to power.
The general lack of transparency around the investigation is now an issue all on its own, not just for the White House, but for congressional Republicans, many of whom are facing re-election next year. Even Speaker Mike Johnson has shown the kind of pressure he’s under as it relates to Epstein; he was forced on Monday to walk back a comment he made last week claiming that Trump was “an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down.”
No one really knows where this goes from here, but at least for now it seems that the attention on the Epstein issue is too hot for Trump or his allies in Congress to squash it.
