Bill Clinton reportedly wrote a birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein, joining nearly 50 other prominent individuals who contributed to a professionally bound birthday album created for the convicted sex offender’s 50th birthday in 2003.
The revelation comes from a Thursday report by The Wall Street Journal, which noted that Clinton was "the biggest name in the album."
This follows WSJ’s earlier reporting that Donald Trump authored a “bawdy” letter for the same album, compiled by Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump filed a lawsuit for libel and slander against Rupert Murdoch, two Wall Street Journal reporters, and the newspaper’s publisher, Dow Jones.
Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Billionaire investor Leon Black, fashion designer Vera Wang, media mogul Mortimer Zuckerman, former Victoria’s Secret owner Les Wexner, attorney Alan Dershowitz, model scout Jean-Luc Brunel, and former Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold, are the some other names who sent letters to Epstein, reported WSJ.
The album also included a section titled “friends,” which featured British ambassador to the US and Labour politician Peter Mandelson, along with Epstein’s former Bear Stearns colleagues Alan “Ace” Greenberg and James “Jimmy” Cayne.
“The professionally bound birthday book had multiple volumes and included a table of contents,” WSJ reported.
Clinton’s message 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.”
Clinton’s spokesperson declined to comment, directing WSJ to a previous statement that said the former president had severed ties with Epstein over a decade before the latter’s arrest and was unaware of his criminal activities.
Trump’s letter was reportedly not the only one with sexual undertones.
One poem by Leon Black read: “Blonde, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically / With this net of fish, Jeff’s now ‘The Old Man and The Sea’.” Black’s spokesperson declined to comment.
Another contribution from Les Wexner included “a line drawing of what appeared to be a woman’s breasts.” Wexner’s representatives also declined to respond.
Fashion designer Vera Wang reportedly suggested Epstein be featured on The Bachelor, though she did not respond to requests of WSJ for comment.
Nathan Myhrvold’s note promised to send photos from a recent trip to Africa: “They seemed more appropriate than anything I could put in words.”
WSJ reported the images included “a monkey screaming, lions and zebras mating, and a zebra with its penis visible.”
A spokesperson for Myhrvold said he did not remember submitting the note, only knew Epstein as a donor to scientific causes, and “regularly shares photos of and writes about animal behaviour.”
Peter Mandelson’s message reportedly contained photos of whiskey and a tropical island and referred to Epstein as “my best pal.” A spokesperson for Mandelson also declined to comment.
On Thursday, The New York Times confirmed the Wall Street Journal’s reporting and uncovered additional material pointing to Trump's prior admiration for Epstein.
The Times also reviewed a copy of ‘Trump: The Art of the Comeback’ from Epstein’s library bearing the inscription: “To Jeff — You are the greatest!” Signed “Donald” and dated “Oct 97,” it aligns with the book’s release month.
A previously unseen photo showing Trump, Epstein, and singer James Brown together, has also been exposed by The Times. The location of the photograph remains unclear, though Brown often performed in Atlantic City, where Trump owned the Taj Mahal casino.
