On Monday, House Democrats shared a picture of a birthday note that Donald Trump supposedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. The note was part of a “Birthday Book” made for Epstein’s 50th birthday. It had a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman and the words “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Epstein’s estate gave the paper to the court after being ordered to do so. Trump’s campaign quickly denied it, and there were heated partisan arguments on the House Oversight Committee.
Panel members who are Democrats uploaded a picture of the page on X and called for full disclosure of all materials pertaining to Epstein. “THIS IS IT,” the minority report from the committee said, adding, “What is he hiding?” Let go of the files!
In a statement, Ranking Member Robert Garcia claimed that the committee has gotten the “infamous ‘Birthday Book’” after weeks of pressure. He also added that Democrats are looking into the material and want to share their conclusions. He also said again that all the Epstein files should be made public.
Republicans said that Democrats were picking and choosing which new materials to use and making them political. Chairman James Comer said that the papers were sent to him because of his August 25 subpoena to the estate. He also said that “President Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing.” He said the committee will look for further bank data from Epstein.
The White House said the document was fake. Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, wrote on X that a Wall Street Journal article “proves” the birthday card claim is incorrect. She also said, “It’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it,” and that his legal team would keep fighting. Trump is suing Dow Jones, the publisher of the Journal, for defamation because of the paper’s July story on the birthday book.
Supporters of Trump also came to his rescue. Vice President J.D. Vance said the news was “another fake scandal… to smear President Trump,” and he said Democrats “don’t care about [Epstein’s] victims.”
The Wall Street Journal initially wrote about the birthday book and the page that was credited to Trump in July. On Monday, they provided a study of the page that was sent to Congress. People and other sources have said that the page has a stylized drawing around a short note that ends with the words “wonderful secret.” These elements are now shown in the committee’s image. Trump has said many times that he did not write such a note.
The Oversight Committee said it got more estate records and information on Epstein’s bank accounts, in addition to the page in question. It will seek more subpoenas. The release comes after the committee posted a different set of Justice Department data last week. Lawmakers from both parties are calling for more public transparency.
There is still a disagreement over the birthday note’s legitimacy and importance. Democrats believe it shows how important it is to have unredacted records. Republicans say the focus should stay on holding Epstein accountable for his crimes and getting justice for the survivors. The committee is still looking over the estate materials.
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