Trump defends himself in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a signature on a greeting card he allegedly sent in 2003 to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, accused of sex crimes, and published by the Democratic opposition on Monday “isn’t mine”.
“That’s not my signature, that’s not how I speak,” Trump told reporters outside a Washington restaurant.
“Anyone who’s followed me for a long time knows that’s not how I speak… That’s ridiculous”.
This is the president’s first comment on the issue since the letter was published.
Trump’s denial came after the White House announced its support for using handwriting experts to refute signatures attributed to the president in this case, which has caused significant embarrassment to the Republican administration.
Democratic lawmakers on Monday released a letter Trump allegedly sent to Epstein in 2003 to celebrate his fiftieth birthday.
The case of the financier, who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 before his trial on charges of sex crimes and sexual exploitation of minors, is sparking controversy in the United States.
Asked about the possibility of using handwriting experts, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said, “Of course we would support that”.
She stressed that “the president’s signature is one of the most famous in the world, and it has been this way for several years”.
“The president didn’t write this letter… He didn’t sign this letter,” she continued.
“That’s why his legal team is suing The Wall Street Journal,” she added, noting that the legal battle will continue.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the existence of the letter in July.
The letter includes a drawing of a naked woman and talks about a secret shared by the billionaire and the businessman.
The message ends with the phrase, “Happy Birthday, and may every day be a wonderful new secret,” and the signature is below the woman’s waist, making it look like pubic hair.
On Monday, Democrats posted a photo of Epstein with people holding a massive $22,500 check bearing Donald Trump’s name… The accompanying text referred to a woman being sold for a bargain price to Donald Trump.
“Did you see the signature on this check?” Levitt asked, adding, “That’s not Donald Trump’s signature… Absolutely not… The president didn’t sign this check”.
Trump supporters have been closely following the Epstein case for years, and many believe that elite figures in the “deep state” are protecting Epstein’s associates in the Democratic Party and Hollywood.
But some of the billionaire Republican’s supporters were disheartened after the FBI and the Department of Justice confirmed in July that Epstein had committed suicide in his prison cell, that he had not blackmailed any prominent figures, and that he hadn’t kept a “client list”.
The US president is intensifying efforts to quell the raging controversy surrounding the Epstein case, which has even spread to his electoral base.
