On September 8, 2025, the House Oversight Committee made public a trove of documents from its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier whose name remains synonymous with scandal and unanswered questions. At the heart of the release: a 238-page book compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, brimming with contributions from his powerful friends, acquaintances, and so-called “girl-friends.” The document dump, which also included Epstein’s last will and testament and his notorious address book, has reignited debate in Washington and beyond—especially over a sexually suggestive, hand-drawn note allegedly bearing President Donald Trump’s signature.
This birthday book, assembled by Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, features a range of messages and memorabilia. But it’s the now-infamous letter—purportedly signed by Trump and accompanied by a risqué sketch of a naked woman—that has generated the most heat. The note, which describes an imagined conversation between “Donald” and “Jeffrey,” ends with the cryptic line: “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.” The signature, scrawled in thick black marker and placed in the drawing’s pubic region, reads simply “Donald.” According to The Independent, contemporaneous letters from Trump, such as one sent to Larry King in 1999, bear a signature that appears similar to the one in question.
President Trump, for his part, has been unequivocal in his denial. “It’s not my signature. And it’s not the way I speak. And anybody that’s covered me for a long time, knows that’s not my language,” Trump told ABC News on September 9. He dismissed the entire episode as “nonsense,” and the White House has echoed this line. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X, “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. President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.”
The controversy over the note’s authenticity has spilled into Congress. On September 10, House Oversight Chairman James Comer, a Republican, rejected calls for a professional handwriting expert to analyze the signature. “I don’t,” Comer replied when pressed about supporting such an analysis. Comer insisted the letter is irrelevant to the committee’s main objective: providing justice for Epstein’s victims and uncovering the truth about the financier’s criminal network. “Honestly, when you look at what’s the purpose of this investigation, it’s to try to provide justice to the victims and try to get the truth about what went on on Epstein Island, and to answer the question, ‘Was the government involved?’ I don’t think a birthday card 20 years ago has any relevance whatsoever,” Comer told ABC News. He added, “If there’s a birthday card from Bill Clinton or Donald Trump, I don’t think that has an ounce of impact on this investigation or on the overall objective of providing justice for the victims.”
Instead, Comer emphasized that the committee’s staff were in New York, combing through Epstein’s financial records and planning to continue their efforts. “When we met privately with the victims and their attorneys, they said that one area they wish we would investigate is the bank records,” Comer explained. The focus, he said, is on following the money: identifying Epstein’s use of LLCs or shell companies and tracking down banks and bank accounts. Comer stressed that the committee would release any evidence of illegal activity it uncovers, but cautioned against assuming guilt by association. “We want to make sure when we release names or names of people that have pretty definitive liability,” he said.
Democrats, meanwhile, have seized on the new disclosures to demand greater transparency. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer moved on September 10 to force a Senate vote on an amendment that would compel the Department of Justice to release all Epstein files before a vote on a crucial defense spending bill. “The bottom line is the American people need to see this. Donald Trump has lied about this. There was no picture, there was no drawing, there has been so many lies, so much prevarication, so much cover up. The American people, Democrats, independents, Republicans are demanding it be made public and it should be. We hope Republicans will vote for it, they should,” Schumer said. Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, was similarly adamant, posting on X: “The note is real. It’s not a hoax. And we are not stopping until we get the truth.”
Beyond the Trump controversy, the birthday book offers a window into Epstein’s world. It features messages from figures such as former President Bill Clinton, who praised Epstein’s “childlike curiosity,” and Peter Mandelson, the British Ambassador to the U.S., who called Epstein his “best pal.” There are also poems, cartoons, and photographs—some playful, some unsettling. The “girlfriends” and “girl-friends” sections are particularly sensitive, with names and faces of women redacted to protect potential victims, according to The New York Times. One letter from a woman recalls Epstein tutoring her in high school math, while another recounts meeting him through Ghislaine Maxwell.
The book’s “Business” and “Science” sections include tributes from Bear Stearns CEO Ace Greenberg and Nobel laureate Gerry Edelman, reflecting Epstein’s connections in finance and academia. The “Brooklyn” section, meanwhile, offers glimpses of Epstein’s childhood, with old family photos and stories from his youth. Maxwell, who compiled the book, wrote in her prologue, “the idea behind the book was simply to gather stories and old photographs to jog your memory about places and people and different events.”
Other documents released include Epstein’s last will and testament, signed just months before his death by suicide in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors as young as 14. Epstein’s executors are listed as Darren K. Indyke, his former personal attorney, and Richard D. Kahn, his former accountant. The estate also released the non-prosecution agreement Epstein struck in 2007 with Florida prosecutors, which allowed him to plead guilty to state charges and register as a sex offender, while avoiding further federal charges—a deal that has drawn widespread condemnation.
The address book, long the subject of speculation, contains hundreds of names, some circled and annotated with locations such as “Massage Paris” or “Island.” High-profile contacts include attorney Alan Dershowitz, billionaire Les Wexner, Trump’s ex-wife Ivana, and their daughter Ivanka. The breadth of Epstein’s connections, laid bare, has only intensified calls for a full accounting of his activities and associations.
As lawmakers on both sides of the aisle collect signatures to force a vote compelling the Justice Department to release more Epstein files, the debate over what constitutes relevant evidence and what is mere distraction rages on. For now, the birthday book’s most notorious page remains a lightning rod—one that has drawn denials, legal threats, and political posturing, but no clear resolution. In the words of one observer, “the American people need to see this.”
With the committee’s investigation ongoing and the public clamoring for answers, the Epstein saga continues to cast a long shadow over some of the most powerful figures in the country—reminding all just how many secrets remain locked away, waiting to be uncovered.
