Jeffrey Epstein’s Birthday Album Included Letters From Bill Clinton, Leon Black

Former president, Wall Street billionaire were listed along with Donald Trump as ‘friends’ in the 2003 book’s table of contents, which named around five dozen contributors

By Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo

In the end, she was successful. The leather-bound album—assembled before Epstein was first arrested in 2006—included a page with a single paragraph in Clinton’s distinctive scrawl:

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.

A spokesman for Clinton declined to comment on the birthday message, which was reviewed by the Journal. He referred the Journal to a previous statement that the former president had cut off ties more than a decade before Epstein was arrested in 2019 and didn’t know about Epstein’s alleged crimes.

The former president was among around five dozen people, including Donald Trump, Wall Street billionaire Leon Black, fashion designer Vera Wang and media owner Mort Zuckerman, who ended up with letters in the 2003 book, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The letter bearing Trump’s signature, which had the outline of a naked woman, was one of the more memorable pages, according to the people involved in putting the album together. Trump has called the letter “a fake thing.”

The professionally bound birthday book had multiple volumes and included a table of contents that listed the contributions, organized into groups. While many letter writers weren’t famous, some categories had notable people.

Clinton and Trump were listed under the “Friends” group, along with about 20 other associates such as Black, Zuckerman, former Victoria’s Secret leader Leslie Wexner, attorney 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 people were grouped under categories such as “Science,” “Brooklyn” and “Family.”

  • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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    9 hours ago

    Glad they are keeping this in the news. The more other people they talk about in the files, the more everyone will want to see them.

  • reddig33@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    It’s so funny how Murdoch is like “BoTH siDEs!!!” And Democrats are like, yeah if Bill Clinton is a pedo throw him in jail. That’s the difference between the two sides, dumbass.

  • WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    He’s going to give Maxwell a pardon, she’s going to testify that Trump had no connection to Epstein, Americans are going to be angry on the internet for a week and MAYBE go to a “peaceful protest” (if they can get the proper permits, it’s on a weekend, and the weather is nice) before bending over and accepting this, too- reassuring themselves that there’s a red line somewhere down the road beyond which they might consider taking some action.

    • Dragomus@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      I am convinced Trump is one of the most named names in the epstein files, not only that, there most likely is ample direct (video) evidence of him abusing children…
      And this is the reason not only he but all of his team need this suppressed with the utmost urgency.
      Because if it leaks it is all over for the administration, it will fall and new elections will wipe all of project 2025’s grand scheme out.

      Now the scramble is on, flagging and erasing Trumps name from the files won’t do since there are copies out there outside of the administration’s control.

      So to safeguard the whole administration they must find and use any other solution to put this in a box and make it dissappear from the public eye.

      They indeed will get Maxwell to say Trump was never close to epstein, that they split up their paths since Trump stepped on the TV show floor or whatever. Promise Maxwell a pardon and a huge stack of crypto if she “does the right thing”. Toss in some taxpayer money for a new identity and she can live where she wants.

      And Trump himself will rapidly throw about more insanity than the public can sort through, perhaps even go ahead and arrest President Obama. So all interest in the epstein files dies down with a bit of time and project 2025 is out of jeopardy.

      Half of the populace will eat up the drama for a while and enjoy themselves, the other half will strike a protest here and there until that also dies down.

      • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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        14 hours ago

        there are copies out there outside of the administration’s control.

        What evidence do you have for this?

        • Dragomus@lemmy.world
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          11 hours ago

          I have none, but the teeth-grinding the Republicans do while unable to stick a doctored epstein dossier on someone else (a democrat preferrably) tells me there is another “power” that blocks them and can release counter evidence.

    • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org
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      13 hours ago

      He’s going to give Maxwell a pardon

      I highly doubt that: the way this whole affair is now framed, it would be a screaming admission of guilt.

      That’s the amusing twist with Ghislaine Maxwell: Trump is dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn’t.

      If I was her, I’d string Trump along, promising to absolve him of any wrongdoing publicly in front of a camera, then tell the real truth and blow up his presidency, to gun for a pardon from the next administration.

      At the very least, she’d get some sympathy points from the general public. Because she sure ain’t gonna get nothing from Trump himself.

      • Dragomus@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        They can just “relocate her for her safety” in a year or two and then she disappears from the system, with a pardon in her pocket.
        No need to make it a public thing yet, a secret deal is easily made. Especially so now that maxwell is being “heard” by very predisposed people who can’t have any fingerpointing towards trump. I don’t think we’ll ever get complete and full transparent transcripts/audiotapes of this hearing…

        Also, it’s already a sign of guilt where they said they needed 1000 agents to scrub the files for trumps name (as if after all these years there will not be an index to the files on who is named where, many hands are only needed for rewrites and checks).
        But if actual evidence comes out it will be far more damning, it’s not worth it to take that risk.

        Maxwell actually telling the full truth and perhaps releasing her evidence, like the videotapes she as the assistant knew existed but had no location of, would actually be the best and most honest thing to do, it all might come down to how threatened she feels.

      • WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca
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        13 hours ago

        “If I do x, I’ll look guilty” is absolutely not a consideration that has ever cost Trump an hour’s sleep. 1) he lacks the self-awareness, 2) he knows the GOP will allow it, and 3) he knows US citizens have zero spine

        • Dragomus@lemmy.world
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          10 hours ago

          He can spin it into “She spoke the truth and showed there is no other evidence. She was wrongfully targeted by the bad people in the justice department back then and for that I will pardon her”.

          Like with all the other convicted criminals that he pardoned.

          Trump knows no one will act against it, the public will take it, say amen and continue with their day.

          • WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca
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            9 hours ago

            HEY! How DARE you? Don’t you know it’s not EASY to fight for your principles? Some people might lose the shitty jobs that they hate! Standing up with any real force would just make the fascists crack down harder (which will certainly happen anyway)! You’re a keyboard warrior! What do you EXPECT them to do, GET ARRESTED?

            Wait, no. I kid. Americans in 2025, to the last man, are a bunch of pants-pissing cowards who give not a single shit about their country but WILL go to great lengths to take offense at the suggestion that they should.

  • BigMacHole@sopuli.xyz
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    1 day ago

    That is NOT true! If Bill Clinton Raped Children the GOP would have Released the Files! So BILL CLINTON NEVER RAPED CHILDREN! THANK YOU GOP!

  • TheFogan@programming.dev
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    1 day ago

    Honestly wish they had reported on all of them at the same time immidiately. Watch maga go I knew it was real… and… fake at the same time.

    • sturger@sh.itjust.works
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      8 hours ago

      MAGA voters were OK with the idea that on each “rigged” ballot, the votes for Republicans should be counted but the votes for Democrats were illegal and should be ignored.

  • aubeynarf@lemmynsfw.com
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    1 day ago

    anything from Obama, Biden, or Harris?

    Bill Clinton hasn’t been a Democratic candidate for almost 30 years