The Wall Street Journal has reported that former US President Bill Clinton sent a birthday letter to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, appearing in a birthday album compiled by Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell for his 50th birthday in 2003. The note, which the Journal described as part of a professionally bound multi-volume book, 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.'
The album contained nearly 50 letters from prominent figures, including billionaire investor Leon Black, fashion designer Vera Wang, media owner Mortimer Zuckerman, former Victoria's Secret owner Les Wexner, attorney Alan Dershowitz, model scout Jean-Luc Brunel, and former Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold. British Labour politician Peter Mandelson, then UK ambassador to the US, also contributed, referring to Epstein as 'my best pal' and including photos of whiskey and a tropical island.
The Journal reported that some notes were sexual in nature. Black's poem referenced 'Blonde, Red or Brunette', while Wexner's included a drawing of what appeared to be a woman's breasts. Myhrvold promised photos from an Africa trip featuring mating animals, which he said were 'more appropriate than anything I could put in words'. Wang suggested Epstein star on The Bachelor.
A Clinton spokesperson declined to comment, referring to a previous statement that Clinton had cut ties with Epstein over a decade before his arrest and was unaware of his crimes. The New York Times confirmed the Journal's reporting and also revealed that Donald Trump had inscribed a copy of his book to Epstein in 1997, calling him 'the greatest'. Trump has sued the Journal and its reporters over earlier reporting on his own letter to Epstein.
