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| Democrats in Congress release alleged Trump birthday note to Epstein | Democrats in Congress release alleged Trump birthday note to Epstein |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Democrats in Congress have released a note they say US President Donald Trump sent to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. | Democrats in Congress have released a note they say US President Donald Trump sent to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. |
| Lawyers for Epstein's estate sent documents to the House Oversight Committee after they were subpoenaed last month. | |
| Democratic members of the committee then posted the letter on X on Monday. | Democratic members of the committee then posted the letter on X on Monday. |
| It comes after the Wall Street Journal published details of the note in July. Trump said it was "a fake thing" and denied writing it. | It comes after the Wall Street Journal published details of the note in July. Trump said it was "a fake thing" and denied writing it. |
| "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," he said at the time. | "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," he said at the time. |
| The signed note says: "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret." | The signed note says: "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret." |
| The 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. | The 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. |
| Trump filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's reporters, publisher and executives, including News Corp's owner Rupert Murdoch, after the newspaper published its story in the summer. | |
| The newspaper's publisher Dow Jones said at the time it had "full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting". | |
| The BBC has reached out to the White House for comment, as well as Trump's personal attorneys. | |
| On X, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted several images of Trump's signature on Monday. | |
| "Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it's not his signature. DEFAMATION!" Budowich wrote. | |
| The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell created the birthday book for the financier in 2003. | |
| It contained submissions from various Epstein acquaintances, including a note allegedly bearing the name of Trump, who was then his friend. | |
| Trump and Epstein were friendly for years, but the president has said he fell out with him in the early 2000s after the financier poached employees from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. | |
| Epstein was first criminally indicted in 2006 in Florida on a state felony charge of solicitation of prostitution. |