The new escalation in the Epstein complex: Democrats release letter, Trump goes on the attack

The controversy over Donald Trump's past reached a new dimension on Monday. The House Oversight Committee released a letter addressed to Jeffrey Epstein that allegedly bears the signature of the sitting president. The text, which was part of a birthday album from 2003, is not only suggestive but also decorated with a drawing of a curvaceous woman. Trump vehemently denies having anything to do with it - and responded with legal heavy artillery.

The Democrats stated that they had received the album along with a series of other documents directly from Epstein’s estate. While the suspicion of a forgery may linger, it is hard to imagine: an official estate package containing a manipulated album would not only be legally risky but also a political own goal. Nevertheless, Trump immediately launched a frontal attack. On the platform X, he had his deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich post photos of his original signature, along with the call to the Wall Street Journal’s parent company to “open the checkbook.”

Because the Wall Street Journal had reported on the alleged letter weeks ago - even though the newsroom apparently had neither the album itself nor a forensic examination of the signature in hand. This is exactly what makes the matter tricky: to publish in such a highly sensitive case without a verified primary source looks like an invitation to Trump’s legal offensive. His newly filed ten-billion-dollar lawsuit against the Journal is likely aimed above all at proving that the report was not sufficiently substantiated.

For the Democrats, however, the release is a calculated move. They point out that the letter came from an authorized delivery of documents and is part of a broader effort to shed light on the network of relationships between Epstein and high-ranking figures. Observers consider it hardly conceivable that they would present a forged letter - not least because false information in such a sensitive proceeding would discredit the entire committee. The so-called “Birthday Book” had long been in the possession of the Epstein estate - we had reported on it - and was therefore under the responsibility of his attorneys. Already in July, victims’ lawyer Brad Edwards had publicly confirmed that the executors of the estate were prepared to release the album as soon as it was officially requested or subpoenaed. On July 25, 2025, Representatives Ro Khanna and Robert Garcia submitted a formal, time-bound request - not a subpoena - demanding a complete and unredacted version of the album and stressing its importance for congressional oversight. At the end of August, an official subpoena followed from Republican committee chairman James Comer, which demanded that the album, including all contributions contained in it, be handed over no later than September 8. On that day, the album was in fact handed over to the committee along with other documents by the executors of the estate.

The White House has so far refused to issue an official statement, while Trump himself has spoken of “false, malicious, and defamatory” allegations. Politically, however, the dispute is unlikely to be over anytime soon: the album from which the letter originates could provide further clues about Epstein’s network - and thus further fuel one of the most sensitive debates of the American election year.