President Donald Trump is denying a report in the Wall Street Journal that claims he wrote a letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.
Trump called the letter a “FAKE” in a social media post and said the story is “false, malicious, and defamatory.” He is threatening to sue the newspaper.
Shortly afterward, Trump announced in another social media post that he is directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce more Epstein documents amid public clamor for the records.
Trump’s letter was part of a leather-bound birthday book with dozens of other letters that was presented to Epstein in 2003, the Journal wrote. The Trump letter ends with “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” according to the Journal.
Trump’s signature on the letter, which was written in the form of text inside a hand-drawn outline of a nude woman, is “a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist, mimicking pubic hair,” the Journal wrote.
In another July 17 post after the Journal story was published, Trump wrote: “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”
The article puts a spotlight on the president’s past friendship with Epstein at a time when controversy around the Trump administration’s handling of records is reaching a fever pitch. Epstein was a wealthy convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Epstein was first arrested in 2006.
The administration’s attempt to close the book on Epstein has enflamed parts of the MAGA base, who have speculated about a potential Epstein “client list” that the government is shielding from public view.
The Justice Department released a memo July 7 stating that a “systematic review” of documents “revealed no incriminating ‘client list,'” and “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.”
Some high-profile Trump supporters have continued to push for the release of more documents, prompting the president to lash out at his own backers and label the saga a “hoax.” The Epstein birthday book containing Trump’s letter was reviewed by Justice Department officials during their investigation, according to the Journal.
Trump is threatening to sue the Journal, highlighting media companies that have settled with his administration after recent lawsuits.
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After the Journal story came out, Trump publicly instructed Bondi “to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.” Bondi responded that she was prepared to ask the court to unseal the transcripts.
Trump said he was making the move “based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump denies report that he wrote Jeffrey Epstein a lewd letter
