Trump and Clinton named. Here's who else is allegedly in the Jeffrey Epstein birthday letters book
The leather-bound book was compiled in 2003 by the late sex offender's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is being questioned by Justice Department officials this week to see if she has additional information about the controversial case.
The list of Epstein's acquaintances in the book has been reviewed by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
Trump and his team have tried to change the subject while Republican leadership ushered in the summer recess early in a bid to buy more time to deal with the scandal. But the firestorm surrounding the Epstein files shows no signs of abating.
Clinton is the latest high-profile figure who reportedly wrote a note in the birthday book to Epstein, according to the Journal, and he joins a number of other well-known personalities.
Messages were reportedly grouped into categories that included: 'Friends,' 'Business,' 'Brooklyn,' and 'Family.'
Names include Wall Street billionaire Leon Black, fashion designer Vera Wang, media owner Mort Zuckerman, former Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold and U.K. ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson.
In Wang's letter to Epstein, the fashion mogul suggested the pair go on a shopping trip and joked about the disgraced financier going on The Bachelor, according to the Journal. Wang told the outlet in 2023 that she regretted ever associating with Epstein and did not respond to a request for comment.
Private equity investor Black, who met Epstein around 1996, wrote Epstein a handwritten poem, according to the Journal.
Two lines of the poem, signed with 'Love and kisses, Leon,' reportedly read:
Blonde, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically
With this net of fish, Jeff's now 'The Old Man and The Sea'
Black previously said he 'deeply regrets' having had any involvement with the convicted pedophile. A spokesman for the billionaire declined to comment on the note.
The note from British politician Mandelson referred to Epstein as 'my best pal,' and included pictures of a tropical island and whiskey, according to the Journal.
The politician told the outlet in 2023 that he 'very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein.' A spokesperson for Mandelson declined to comment when approached by the outlet.
Former Microsoft executive and billionaire Nathan Myhrvold reportedly wrote in the book that he was sending Epstein photos from a recent trip to Africa. Photos that followed included lions and zebras mating, where a zebra's penis was reportedly visible. 'They seemed more appropriate than anything I could put in words,' the letter said, according to the Journal.
Myhrvold said he doesn't recall the writing the note and as a wildlife photographer, he 'regularly shares photos of and writes about animal behavior,' a spokesperson told the outlet. The spokesperson added that the billionaire only knew Epstein through a TED conference.
Billionaire Mort Zuckerman, who owned the New York Daily News at the time, wrote in his letter that 'he had searched the newspaper for information about Epstein and joked he was born in Liechtenstein and had a wife and three children,' the Journal reports. Zuckerman did not respond to the outlet's request for comment.
Other associates of Epstein's who feature in the book reportedly include Victoria's Secret owner Leslie Wexner, who previously condemned Epstein's crimes as 'abhorrent,' the late Wall Street titan Alan Greenberg, and the late businessman James Cayne, who both worked with Epstein at the Bear Stearns investment bank in the 1970s.
Trump, who has vehemently denied ever writing a note to Epstein, tried to deflect attention onto Clinton when speaking to reporters Friday.
Clinton's handwritten note reportedly read: '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 spokesman declined to comment to the Journal and instead referred to a previous statement saying the former president's association with Epstein ended more than a decade before he was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. The statement also said Clinton didn't know about Epstein's crimes, the Journal reports.
The Journal previously reported Trump's birthday letter to Epstein included a drawing of a naked woman and a note that read: 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.'
Trump has denied authoring any such letter and is suing the Journal, its parent company and owner Rupert Murdoch for $10 billion.
'The Wall Street Journal is writing yet another defamatory story about the President of the United States about an alleged letter they don't even have because the President never wrote it,' said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, in response to the outlet's latest bombshell report.
Trump socialized with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, but reportedly cut ties before Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18.
While Trump has not been accused of any formal wrongdoing or charged with any crime, his proximity to Epstein, someone he once called a friend, has heightened conspiracy theories that the government is withholding documents that could reveal embarrassing information about high-profile individuals.
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