
Trump denies claim he wrote birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein - and says he has ordered release of more case files
In multiple posts on Truth Social, the US president accused The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) of fabricating the letter that it claimed was written by Mr Trump as part of a collection of letters addressed to Epstein that his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell planned to give him as a birthday present in 2003.
According to documents seen by the WSJ, Mr Trump's letter featured several lines of typewritten text framed by what appeared to be a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman.
The paper said the letter concludes "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret", and featured the signature "Donald", allegedly drawn across the woman's waist, meant to mimic the appearance of pubic hair.
Responding to the WSJ's claims, Mr Trump wrote: "The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures.
"I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I'm going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DJT."
He said earlier he would also sue the WSJ and News Corp, which Mr Murdoch owns. The WSJ is published by News Corp subsidiary company, Dow Jones & Co.
1:47
In a separate post, Mr Trump said he has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to release "any and all pertinent grand jury testimony" in the case of the paedophile financier who was found dead in his Manhattan cell in August 2019, shortly after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges.
The release of any documents, Mr Trump said, would be subject to approval by a court.
The justice department has previously said it had around 200 documents relating to Epstein and that the FBI had thousands more. It is unknown how much of this is grand jury testimony - which is typically kept secret under US law.
Ms Bondi responded to the president on X, writing: "President Trump-we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts."
👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈
The Trump administration has come under criticism after the president appeared to U-turn on his own promise to release more information about the Epstein case publicly.
In the run-up to the US election last year, Mr Trump drew on rumours and conspiracy theories that appeared to accuse the Biden administration of suppressing the extent of Epstein's paedophilia, predatory behaviour and his so-called "client list" - thought to contain names of the rich and famous who conspired with him in a child sex trafficking operation.
Ms Bondi fuelled these rumours in February by telling Fox News that the alleged Epstein client list was "sitting on my desk right now to review".
In the same month, the Justice Department released some government documents regarding the case, but there were no new revelations.
After a months-long review of additional evidence, the department earlier this month released a video meant to prove that Epstein killed himself, but said no other files related to the case would be made public.
The decision was criticised by many in Mr Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, who Mr Trump later called "weaklings".
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Spectator
2 minutes ago
- Spectator
Why one US diplomat thinks Ireland has ‘fallen into a vat of Guinness'
US diplomat Mike Huckabee was dead right to question whether Ireland had 'fallen into a vat of Guinness.' Huckabee, the United States ambassador to Israel, played into stereotypical tropes on the Irish and alcohol when he made that comment last week. But it is, he reckoned, the only possible explanation for Ireland's looming ban on Israeli settlement goods, despite ominous soundings from the US over the potentially ruinous consequences. This bill is so stupid it amounts to 'diplomatic intoxication', he concluded. To answer his question, Ireland is not drunk. More's the pity. It is preparing to commit economic suicide while cold stone sober, just to tighten the screws on Israel. Huckabee's remarks, which point to a deepening rift between Dublin and Washington, have certainly focused minds in the US. Twelve prominent US politicians and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations have now warned Ireland of the economic and diplomatic fallout of the Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill (PIGS). This row is gaining traction on Capitol Hill and ensuring Ireland is making global headlines – for all the wrong reasons. International law expert Eugene Kontorovich explained in the Wall Street Journal how banning trade with Israeli settlements could force American companies operating in Ireland to violate US federal law on illegal Israeli boycotts. 'Dublin seeks to take the place of Damascus as the centre of Israeli boycotts. But Syria was an economic backwater. Ireland has a lot more to lose,' he said. When it was first introduced in 2018, what was then the 'Occupied Territories Bill,' quickly sparked a backlash. Former US Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Mulhall, said he was deluged with calls asking, 'What is Ireland at?' Riddled with legal problems from the start, it was left to wither on the vine. That was until October 2023, when pro-Palestinian/anti-Israeli groups thought it the perfect time to resurrect it and ramp up the pressure. They were pushing against an open door with foreign affairs minister Simon Harris. Instead of sending them packing, he caved in and re-introduced the ban on trading with settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank under a new name. It isn't clear that this is what Irish voters actually want. The general nervousness about the blowback from Ireland's largest export market, the US, was reflected in a recent national opinion poll in Ireland: 48 per cent want the bill dropped altogether or paused until the economic consequences are fully examined, with a further 17 per cent undecided. Harris and Taoiseach Micheal Martin face a stark choice; drop the bill and be crucified by the hard left and hostile anti-Israeli NGOs. Or continue to push it and hope Ireland's economy doesn't sink if US multinationals quit, leaving 370,000 job losses in their wake. Martin must know all too well that the Irish economy is artificially propped up by billions in revenue from US tech giants. Last November, Martin said Ireland could lose €10 billion (£8.7 billion) in corporation tax if just three US multinationals were repatriated under a hostile Donald Trump administration. The context then was Trump's tariffs, but it underlined the scale of Ireland's dependency on US multinationals. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council reported that foreign-owned multinationals – the majority US-owned – contributed 84 per cent of the total corporation tax revenue in 2023. This swelled Ireland's coffers by €20 billion (£17.36 billion), roughly equating to the combined spending on hospitals and schools in that year. As one US senator put it: 'If Ireland wanted to end foreign direct investment into Ireland, it could not have chosen a better way to do it.' Former justice minister Alan Shatter labelled the bill a 'Father Ted' measure reminiscent of the comedy set on a craggy island off Ireland's west coast – something Ireland's Taoiseach took great umbrage at. The Taoiseach was asked directly if the government had sought legal opinion on the position of US multinationals if this bill is enacted. We are none the wiser. Irish business leaders are not so coy; they say the consequences for Ireland are real and significant. Ireland is not up against the might of Israel on this, but that of the US. And that is before we get to the added risk of infringing EU law by imposing a unilateral trade ban, as UK international law expert Natasha Hausdorff told the Dail pre legislative hearings in painstaking detail earlier this month. The glazed eyes of the assembled politicians and the blustering, emotive, responses made for depressing viewing. Whatever one thinks about the moral argument, this bill is a massive overreach that will not save a single life in Gaza. Yet the entire Irish political establishment is ideologically wedded to it. Junior foreign affairs minister Thomas Byrne let the cat out of the bag last week when asked by Ireland's national broadcaster, RTE, if he was concerned about the potential cost to Ireland. 'Of course,' he replied, but I am more concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.' Martin also offered some insight into the government's mindset by saying he wanted the bill passed while ensuring Ireland's economy did not suffer 'unduly.' Which presupposes there will be some suffering, it's just a question of degree. Should the worst happen, and tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of Irish workers lose their jobs if US multinationals shut up shop, well, they can take comfort knowing Ireland 'did the right thing' as they make their way to the dole queue. Unless, as Ambassador Huckabee suggests, Ireland 'sobers up' before it is too late.

The National
25 minutes ago
- The National
It's long past time to probe Donald Trump's dealings
Despite the strong appetite for land reform, and the widely held view that Scotland should not be a country where the super-rich can buy any land they want to turn it into their own personal playground, this is exactly what he's been allowed to do. His golf development caused direct environmental harm, but also gave profile to his climate denial conspiracies and his effort to derail our renewable energy industry. READ MORE: If I was John Swinney, here's what I would say to Donald Trump Scotland should not be a country where we allow billionaires and their business interests to go unchecked, especially when they have been cited by courts in felony charges against the individual. But that is exactly how the Scottish Government plans on treating Trump, a convicted criminal, who is here in a personal capacity but will be back for his second state visit as president of the United States. Five years ago, I first called for an investigation of Trump's finances in Scotland through an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO). This power enables the Scottish Government to investigate the finances of individuals who are politically active and have acquired wealth through suspicious means. Given that the criminal charges brought against Trump in New York cited his Menie golf estate in Aberdeenshire, getting answers from the Trump Organisation as to the valuation of his property and where he got the money from is the responsible thing for our own government to do. Otherwise, we are sending a global message that wealthy individuals in positions of power like Trump are above the law. That sets a dangerous precedent, one that cannot become Scotland's legacy. This is a critical time to hold the super-rich to account. The billionaire class has been getting ever richer, while international aid programmes and investment in public services are cut, causing untold suffering. READ MORE: What's your message to Donald Trump as he arrives in Scotland? We asked Glaswegians Big polluters keep raking in the profits, while governments claim they don't have the power or money to achieve a just transition. Trump is just one very high-profile example, but his political power and his long history should make him top of the list for accountability. Before we consider the dangerous far-right agenda he's pursuing as US president, he is first and foremost a man with decades of scandal behind him. During that time, he has sold everything from property to ties – but most notably sold his own name to other enterprises. He has faced many losses with business ventures going bust and claiming bankruptcy. And yet he continues to keep a foothold in Scotland, with his golf estates barely turning profits until after he was charged and scrutinised in court. Scotland is not in short supply of golf courses, but it seems that we are in short supply of moral fibre. That was demonstrated when the Scottish planning system was overturned to allow him to build his golf course in the first place, trashing a piece of coastline which, at least on paper, had the highest level of environmental protection possible. But that same lack of courage in holding the super-rich to account is still being demonstrated today, with every day that passes without the Government using its power to find out where the money for Trump's business dealings in Scotland actually came from. Trump is a politically active individual who has purposely shielded his tax information to avoid public scrutiny, the first US president who is a convicted criminal, and an individual with dozens of allegations of sexual assault spanning back to the 1970s. READ MORE: Timings of Donald Trump visit to Scotland revealed as flight restrictions in place But the title of president does not make him immune to following laws in his own country or ours. If anything, it should make our Government duty-bound to enforce those laws and hold him to account, to set an example for the world to follow. Self-proclaimed elites like Trump do not get a free pass just because they are powerful. He must face the same scrutiny and legal challenges as our own politicians and citizens do. We cannot continue to have a 'special relationship' with someone who flouts our rules and treats our country like his personal playground, while trashing our environment and undermining our energy transition. It is time for the Scottish Government to take heed of our long-standing call and investigate Trump with a UWO, instead of cosying up to him and trying to win his favour.

The National
30 minutes ago
- The National
A history of protests against Donald Trump in Scotland
The US president is also set to meet with Scotland's First Minister John Swinney as well as Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Will there be protests? There are certainly many planned. READ MORE: Donald Trump protest planned near mother's birthplace during Scotland visit It wouldn't be the first time, either. Over the years, there have been many events held in Scotland protesting the now US president. Even before he was elected for the first time in 2016, Scots have publicly called out the American whose mother, Mary Ann, was born in the Isle of Lewis. Take Scottish farmer Michael Forbes, who has long been butting heads with Trump. The saga began in 2006 when Trump bought part of the Menie Estate. Residents were concerned about the environmental impact that the 18-hole course would have and Forbes and his family mounted a particularly large amount of vocal and public opposition against it in the years since. On January 30, 2017, just after Trump was made US president for the first time, demonstrators flocked to the streets of Edinburgh and marched from the Mound to the Scottish Parliament (below). (Image: Photo by) The protesters took particular issue with the ban on Muslims travelling to the USA which he had just brought in. During his first state visit in 2018, groups gathered outside of Trump Turnberry to boo the president while he played an afternoon game of golf. They also flew a paraglider around the area with a message criticising the president's first term. Here are some other demonstrators (below) who chose to gather in Glasgow's George Square for the Scotland United Against Trump protest against the state visit. (Image: Lesley Martin/PA Archive/PA Images) The visit also gave birth to an iconic viral moment from Janey Godley. The late comedian arrived at a protest wielding a huge placard with, shall we say, flowery language (below). It immediately went viral across the globe. Now, with Donald Trump soon arriving in Scotland again, there will be a host of protests across the country.