White House denies Trump wrote birthday message to convicted sex trafficker Epstein

The White House denied the authenticity of an alleged letter written to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Featuring a drawing of a female body, the letter was released Monday night by the U.S. House Oversight Committee as part of a trench of documents related to the case of Epstein, who ran a child sex trafficking ring before he died in prison in 2019, officially ruled a suicide.

The letter alleged to be from Trump was part of a so-called "birthday book" that Epstein received in 2003, also containing an address book with the names of celebrities, politicians and royalty worldwide.

"As I have said all along, it's very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media.

The document release comes as Trump faces pressure from not only Democrats but also from his own supporters, who ask for more transparency on the Epstein case.

The document was released by the Republican-led committee just hours after Epstein's estate turned the documents over.

"President Trump's legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation," Leavitt said.

She was referring to an article published by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that first broke the news about Trump's alleged entry into the so-called "birthday book."

In July, WSJ reported that among the handwritten letters Epstein received for his 50th birthday in 2003 was one bearing Trump's signature. The president dismissed the report as fake news, reiterating his denial of any ties to Epstein, and has filed lawsuits against media mogul Rupert Murdoch, News Corp, Dow Jones and two WSJ journalists.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua: "Trump supporters are very suspicious of the establishment and likely will want more information that has been put out so far. They want to follow the money trail and see how all the money was handled and what role various individuals played in facilitating the bad behavior."

"This situation continues to get lots of media attention and likely won't go away until all the questions are answered," West said.

Clay Ramsay, a senior researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua that the Epstein case will impact Trump's agenda.

"The Epstein scandal reaches people who don't follow politics at all. It has lasting appeal... Its victims have only just made contact with each other and teamed up. There are at least 20 victims who are now out in public," Ramsay said.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to release Epstein-related documents if re-elected. However, in early July, the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a joint memo stating no incriminating "client list" exists and that "no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted."