A lewd birthday message Donald Trump allegedly sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been released by Democrats.
The US president has denied writing the letter or creating a hand-drawn outline of what appears to be a woman that surrounds the piece of paper.
The letter, bearing Mr Trump’s name and allegedly his signature, includes the text: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Mr Trump has called a report on the letter “false, malicious, and defamatory”.
“These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” Mr Trump said.
The letter was included as part of a 2003 album compiled for Epstein’s birthday.
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Democrats on the House Oversight Committee received a copy of the birthday album on Monday as part of a batch of documents from Epstein’s estate.
Mr Trump has already filed a $10bn lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal for a report on the alleged letter.
After the letter was released on Monday, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted pictures on X of Trump’s signature and tagged The Wall Street Journal’s parent corporation, News Corp, writing: “Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it’s not his signature. DEFAMATION!”
Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said: “The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES 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.”
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The letter’s disclosure comes amid a bipartisan demand in Congress for the release of the so-called Epstein files amid years of speculation and conspiracy theories.
Calls for the release of the records came from Republicans, including JD Vance before he was sworn in as vice-president.
Epstein, a wealthy and well-connected financier, killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges that said he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls.
