Donald Trump has directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury testimony related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case, as he attempted to quell controversy over a report that he contributed a lewd birthday note to Epstein’s 50th birthday album.
The president wrote on Truth Social that he had authorised the justice department to request the public disclosure of the sealed materials, citing “the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein”. His order came after days of criticism from far-right supporters accusing Bondi of failing to deliver on promises to release Epstein-related documents.
The move followed a Wall Street Journal report that Trump had submitted a typewritten letter featuring a sketch of a naked woman’s silhouette, with his signature placed below the waist. The Journal described the note as “bawdy” and quoted a line reading: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump denied authorship and threatened to sue the Journal, News Corp and Rupert Murdoch, claiming the story was defamatory.
The Journal reported that the letter was included in a leather-bound album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein’s 2003 birthday, three years before he faced any investigation. The newspaper said it was unclear how the letter was prepared, but it contained a typewritten imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein. Other contributors included Epstein’s lawyer Alan Dershowitz and L Brands founder Les Wexner, who allegedly submitted a drawing of a woman’s breasts.
Trump’s denial echoes his previous public praise of Epstein; in a 2002 New York magazine interview he called Epstein “a terrific guy” who “likes beautiful women as much as I do”. The Journal said the album was among documents examined by justice department officials during their investigation of Epstein and Maxwell.
