A fresh report by The Wall Street Journal has exposed that former President Bill Clinton gave a handwritten letter to Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday scrapbook — a secret surfacing as controversy surrounding Epstein and high-profile individuals has flared again.
The album, compiled by Epstein's long-time colleague Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003, has once again appeared in the public sphere in light of recent revelations from the FBI and Department of Justice, which reported that there is no such "Epstein client list" of VIPs reportedly participating in his illegal activities.
The WSJ had earlier quoted that former President Donald Trump had written a risqué letter — which featured a sketch of a nude woman — to the same birthday book. Trump has accused the paper of having written such a note and, in turn, sued the paper, its parent company Dow Jones, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch for $10 billion defamation.
Now, The Wall Street Journal reports Clinton also wrote a short note in the album. The outlet reports that the former president wrote:
"It's reassuring isn't it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and [illegible word], and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends."
A Clinton spokesperson refused to comment on the report but directed the publication to a previous statement maintaining that Clinton had broken off her relationship with Epstein well over a decade prior to Epstein's 2019 arrest on federal charges of sex trafficking. The statement also insisted that Clinton had no knowledge of Epstein's purported crimes.
Actor Kevin Spacey, cleared last year of charges of sexual misconduct, remembered in a June 2024 interview with Piers Morgan that he had traveled on Epstein's private plane when he made a 2002 humanitarian trip to Africa with Clinton and a team of "young girls." Clinton was not accused of anything in regard to the trip.
Responding to the accusations through Truth Social, Trump stated: "The Wall Street Journal published a FAKE letter, allegedly to Epstein. Not my words, not how I speak. And I don't make pictures. I informed Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam. But he did, and now I'm going to sue his ass off, and that of his third-rate newspaper."
While Trump was known to have socialized with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, reports indicate their friendship frayed long before Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting minors for prostitution in 2008. Trump has not been charged with any crime in connection with Epstein but continues to face public scrutiny for his earlier association with the now-disgraced financier.
In announcing last week's lawsuit, Trump penned: This suit is brought not just on behalf of your favorite President, ME, but also in an effort to continue fighting for ALL Americans who will no longer stand idly by while the Fake News Media continue their abusive misdoings."
A Dow Jones spokesperson for the publisher of The Wall Street Journal spoke to the Associated Press and stated:
"We have complete faith in the accuracy and integrity of our reporting, and will aggressively defend against any lawsuit."
The continuing revelations pour new fuel on long-standing public interest — and conjecture — around Epstein's high-profile associations, particularly at a time of increased calls for disclosure regarding sealed court files and as yet unreleased government records.
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