Trump mired in Epstein controversy as Wall Street Journal reports on 2003 letter

WASHINGTON (AP) — The controversy over President Donald Trump ’s handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation entered a new dimension Thursday as his administration struggles to make good on its promises to release details on the sex trafficking case involving a one-time friend of the now-president.

Trump promised a lawsuit after The Wall Street Journal described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the letter, calling it “false, malicious, and defamatory.”

It came after Trump in recent days has berated as “weaklings” supporters vying for more records from the Epstein probe, after years of courting political support from those who have stoked claims of a coverup in the case to protect wealthy friends of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 awaiting trial on federal charges of trafficking of underage girls.

Trump has also shielded his attorney general from being questioned about the case after she walked back claims of the existence of a “client list” of elites who participated in Epstein’s crimes, and has even taken to claiming without evidence that files were doctored by Democrats.

In an administration that prides itself on changing the narrative on negative storylines, the Epstein saga has had remarkable staying power, thanks in part to infighting at high levels of government, Trump’s blistering criticism of his own base and the head-scratching mystery of why documents his own administration promised to unlock will remain buried — seemingly for good.

Thursday’s disclosure — coupled with frustration from Trump-allied lawmakers on Capitol Hill — pushed Trump to abruptly reverse course and direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to try to make some of the documents in the case public.

Bondi said she would seek court permission Friday to release grand jury information, but it would require a judge’s approval, and she and Trump were silent on the additional evidence collected by federal law enforcement in the sprawling investigation that Bondi last week announced she would not release.

A newly revealed letter to Epstein

The letter revealed by The Wall Street Journal was reportedly collected by disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell as part of a birthday album for Epstein years before the wealthy financier was first arrested in 2006 and subsequently had a falling-out with Trump. The letter bearing Trump’s name includes text framed by the outline of what appears to be a hand-drawn naked woman and ends with, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” according to the newspaper. The outlet described the contents of the letter but did not publish a photo showing it entirely.

Maxwell was arrested in 2020 and convicted a year later on charges that she helped Epstein lure girls to be sexually abused.

Trump slammed the story in a lengthy social media post Thursday night, saying he spoke to both to the paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, and its top editor, Emma Tucker, and told them the letter was “fake.” Trump promised to sue the paper over the story, saying: “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”

Vice President JD Vance said The Wall Street Journal “should be ashamed” for publishing it.

“Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?” he wrote on X.

Trump tries to move on

The Trump administration has been struggling for nearly two weeks to contain the fallout of the Justice Department’s announcement that no more Epstein evidence in the government's possession would be released to the public despite promises of transparency from Bondi. The Justice Department’s reversal on the Epstein files not only angered Trump supporters but touched off a testy exchange at the White House last week between Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino that neither official has publicly addressed.

The Justice Department has yet to provide a full accounting of its reversal months after Bondi handed out binders to conservative influencers at the White House that read the “Epstein Files: Phase 1” and “the most transparent administration.” Bondi earlier this week refused to answer questions from reporters about the Epstein files and her relationship with Bongino.

The White House on Thursday closed the door on calls for a further inquiry into the Epstein investigation, saying the president would not be recommending the appointment of a special counsel.

Even though his administration for months had hyped the expected release of more documents, Trump slammed his own supporters earlier this week for their furor over the Epstein files saga. Trump called it a “hoax” and tried to place blame on Democrats, accusing former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as former FBI Director James Comey — without evidence — of making up such documents.

Earlier Thursday, the controversy over the Epstein files had snarled the House’s efforts to pass a bill that claws back $9.4 billion in federal spending, as Democrats used procedural moves to force votes on releasing the documents in tandem with the package.

That frustrated House Republicans, who tried to forge a solution that could include a resolution supporting the release of “credible” files pertaining to Epstein and his activities.

Trump is no stranger to scrutiny

Trump himself has faced years of scrutiny over his own private life. Last year, for instance, he was convicted of felony charges in New York in connection with hush money payments meant to silence an adult film star’s sex claims ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied the relationship.

And Trump’s ties to Epstein have been well-documented, though the president has not been accused of misconduct in connection with their social relationship.

Video footage unearthed by NBC News following Epstein’s federal indictment in 2019 showed the two chatting at a party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in 1992. The video, recorded at a time when Trump was newly divorced, shows him surrounded by young women, whom NBC identified as cheerleaders for the Buffalo Bills.

It also depicts the two men standing and gesturing at the women on the dance floor.

“I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him,” Trump said when the video emerged. “He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling-out with him a long time ago. I don’t think I’ve spoken to him for 15 years.”

Previously released files included a 2016 deposition in which an accuser recounted spending several hours with Epstein at Trump’s Atlantic City casino but didn’t say if she actually met Trump and did not accuse him of any wrongdoing.

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Associated Press reporters Seung Min Kim and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.