WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has again denied authoring a lewd birthday letter to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein after the document was publicly released.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the existence of the alleged 2003 letter in July, prompting Trump to file a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the newspaper and its owners.
The type-written message was inserted into the sketched outline of a nude woman with Trump’s alleged signature placed where her pubic hair would be.
It was among many notes Epstein’s friends sent that his associate Ghislaine Maxwell compiled into a book for his 50th birthday.
The House Oversight Committee published a copy of the book and other personal files subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate on Monday.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday evening that the signature was not his and the language did not match his speaking style.
He made the comments during a rare trip to dine out in the US capital, stating that anyone who had covered him for a long time would recognise the discrepancy.
Trump’s allies argue the signature is not authentic by comparing it to documents he signed after becoming president in 2017.
The New York Times published several letters signed by Trump from the late 1990s and early 2000s that bear a striking resemblance to the 2003 letter.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the White House would support a professional handwriting expert reviewing the documents.
Epstein was a wealthy financier with high-level global connections who was convicted of sex offenses.
He was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking of underage girls.
Trump has faced months of controversy surrounding Epstein since his administration confirmed the death was a suicide.
The administration deemed the release of more case files unnecessary despite previously fanning conspiracy theories about covered-up wrongdoing.
Trump’s prior relationship with Epstein has provided potent fodder for his political opponents throughout the campaign.
The president and his allies have sought to downplay the entire saga as a Democratic hoax.
Leavitt posted on social media that it was very clear Trump did not draw the picture or sign the letter.
She described the situation as fake news perpetuating the Democrat Epstein hoax.
When asked to clarify which aspect was a hoax given the documents came from Epstein’s estate, Leavitt said she did not call the documents a hoax.
She stated the entire narrative surrounding Jeffrey Epstein absorbing liberal cable channels was a hoax perpetuated by opportunistic Democrats.
Leavitt accused Democrats of trying to push this hoax against the president of the United States. – AFP
