The Wall Street Journal drops another bombshell regarding the Epstein case, reporting that Bill Clinton also sent a letter for the convicted pedophile’s birthday book, who died in his prison cell in 2019. This follows the same outlet’s earlier revelation that Donald Trump had done something similar, with the American president claiming he had also sent a letter to the then-living financier, calling the article “false, malicious and defamatory.”
What Clinton’s letter said for Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday, according to the Wall Street Journal
According to the new WSJ report, “the biggest name in Jeffrey Epstein’s 2003 birthday book was a former president rather than a future one. Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was eager to get Bill Clinton and other prominent names to submit letters for the special gift, according to people involved in assembling it. Eventually, she succeeded. The leather-bound album—assembled before Epstein was first arrested in 2006—included a page with a single paragraph in Clinton’s distinctive handwriting:
It’s reassuring, isn’t it, to have endured so long, through all these years of learning and knowledge, adventures and [illegible word], and also to retain your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference, and the comfort of friends. A Clinton spokesperson declined to comment on the birthday message, which was reviewed by the WSJ. They referred the outlet to a previous statement that the former president had severed ties more than a decade before Epstein was arrested in 2019 and was unaware of Epstein’s alleged crimes.
The former president was among about 60 people, including Donald Trump, Wall Street billionaire Leon Black, fashion designer Vera Wang, and media owner Mort Zuckerman, who sent letters to the 2003 book, according to documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.
The professionally bound birthday book had multiple volumes and included a table of contents that catalogued the contributions, organized into groups. While many letter writers weren’t famous, some categories had notable figures.
Which category in Epstein’s book included Clinton and Trump
Clinton and Trump were listed in the “Friends” group, along with about 20 other associates including Black, Zuckerman, former Victoria’s Secret chief Leslie Wexner, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and the late Jean-Luc Brunel, who ran a modeling agency. Zuckerman didn’t respond to requests for comment. A “Business” group included the late Alan “Ace” Greenberg and the late James “Jimmy” Cayne. Both men worked at Bear Stearns when Epstein was at the investment bank in the 1970s. Other individuals were grouped into categories like “Science,” “Brooklyn,” and “Family.”
“Love and kisses”
Some of the messages were innocuous birthday wishes, but others were brazen and made crude jokes about sex, according to documents reviewed by the WSJ. A letter from Nathan Myhrvold, a billionaire and former Microsoft executive, said he was sending photos from a recent trip to Africa. “They seemed more appropriate than anything I could put into words,” the letter said, which ended with a typed “Nathan.” Following were photos of a screaming monkey, mating lions and zebras, and a zebra with its penis visible.
A Myhrvold spokesperson said he doesn’t recall the submission and that he is a wildlife photographer who “regularly shares photos and writes about animal behavior.”
The spokesperson said Myhrvold only knew Epstein because he attended TED conferences and was a donor to scientific research.
Black’s submission had a handwritten poem in rhyme scheme. The poem included the acronym “V.F.P.C.” with an asterisk saying it meant “Vanity Fair Poster Child,” a reference to a magazine profile of Epstein that was in the works.
Two lines in the poem read: Blonde, Redhead or Brunette, scattered geographically With this fishing net, Jeff is now ‘The Old Man and the Sea’
It was signed: “Love and kisses, Leon.” A spokesperson for Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, declined to comment on the letter.
Black has said he met Epstein around 1996 and paid him for tax and estate planning. He has said he regretted having any involvement with Epstein. Apollo said in 2021 that a legal review found Black paid Epstein a total of $158 million from 2012 to 2017, including $10 million for Epstein’s philanthropy, and found no evidence that Black was involved in Epstein’s criminal activities.
The letter from Wang, the fashion designer, joked about putting Epstein on “The Bachelor” and suggested going shopping.
Wang didn’t respond to requests for comment. The designer told the Journal in 2023 that she regrets ever being associated with Epstein. A letter from Zuckerman, who was then owner of the New York Daily News, said he had searched the newspaper for information about Epstein and joked that he was born in Liechtenstein and had a wife and three children. Zuckerman didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Assembling the album for Epstein
Maxwell enlisted the help of assistants and others to assemble the album, according to people familiar with the process and people who received invitations. Maxwell requested drawings, photos or stories from Epstein’s associates to celebrate his 50th birthday.
As letters and images came in, they were scanned into a computer. Some of the people who helped with the project remembered seeing Trump’s and Clinton’s pages among the documents at the time. The letters went to a New York bookbinder to create the calfskin leather album.
Brad Edwards, a lawyer who has represented more than 200 Epstein victims, said on MSNBC Wednesday night that he has many clients who remember the birthday book. “The existence of the book is absolute fact,” Edwards said.
Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, Mark, told the outlet he remembers Maxwell compiling the book for his brother’s birthday. The album included a note from Mark Epstein.
Several digital copies of the album have been created. The pages have been reviewed by Justice Department officials who investigated Epstein and Maxwell years ago, according to people familiar with the matter. The album is part of Epstein’s estate. It’s unclear whether any of the album’s pages are part of the Trump administration’s recent review of Epstein case files.
Epstein died in jail in 2019 after being arrested on federal sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 of helping Epstein’s sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Maxwell, who is seeking to overturn her conviction, didn’t respond to a letter requesting an interview. Her family issued a statement last week saying she didn’t receive a fair trial, and one of her lawyers, David Oscar Markus, called on Trump to intervene.
When Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein met – The private jet trips and visit to the convicted financier’s Manhattan mansion
According to the WSJ report, the biggest name in the album was Clinton, who left the White House in 2001. Clinton was photographed with Epstein and Maxwell at a White House event in 1993 and became better acquainted with Epstein in the early 2000s. In his Manhattan mansion, Epstein had hung a painting depicting Clinton wearing a blue dress and red heels, according to people who saw it.
Clinton took four trips on Epstein’s private jet and visited his Manhattan mansion once, each time with his Secret Service detail and for reasons related to Clinton Foundation work, the former American president’s spokesperson said in 2019.
Trump, who also knew Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s, said in 2019 when Epstein was arrested that he hadn’t spoken to him for about 15 years.
With information from Wall Street Journal
